The Forge for Families

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
760485959
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Houston, TX, USA
Phone
7136601863
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Delinquency Prevention
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,829,356
Expenses
$1,780,874
Assets
$7,318,531
Liabilities
$87,763

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANA L THOMAS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/BOARD M)

Highest reported compensation

  • DANA L THOMAS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/BOARD M): $201,321 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To holistically equip families to fulfill their god-given potential.

What it reported doing in 2025

The after school enrichment program served approximately 62 students and 60 parents during the 2024-2025 school year, compared to approximately 68 students and 65 parents during the 2023-2024 school year. Operating monday through thursday from 3:00 p.m. To 6:30 p.m., and fridays from 3:00 p.m. To 6:00 p.m., the program extends the learning day by providing a safe, structured environment that reinforces academic achievement, character development, and social-emotional growth. Academic services included daily homework assistance across core subject areas, individualized one-on-one reading therapy for the organization's most academically at-risk students in grades 2-5 provided by a certified reading specialist and reading intervention for all participating students through the mindplay virtual reading coach program. This individualized, data-driven literacy platform provides targeted instruction while measuring student progress and reading growth throughout the school year. In addition to academic support, students participated in social-emotional learning, character education, and behavior skills development designed to strengthen decision-making, self-regulation, leadership, and positive peer relationships. The program also emphasizes family engagement. Parents actively participated through volunteer service and engagement activities that reinforced student success and strengthened partnerships between families and program staff.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 81% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 53
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.5%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 88.8%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.7%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.11; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.3%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.5% of revenue deployed · 88.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 14 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $201K · 14 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.