The Hope Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
873003753
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Lake Zurich, IL, United States
Phone
847.719.7909
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$782,737
Expenses
$848,938
Assets
$524,037
Liabilities
$30,607

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Jason Sfire (President)
  • Scott DeGraeve (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Terrance Wallace (Executive Dir.): $94,379 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

No one should have to experience injustice. The Hope Center provides support through services including a food pantry & farm, language instruction, legal guidance, job training, parenting support, family resources, and so much more. The Hope Center is a place to get help for many of the common challenges and injustices people in our community face. We provide practical support and services that run the gamut from free food to low-cost legal aid, free healthcare for the uninsured to support for the recently incarcerated. What sets the Hope Center apart is that we’re more than a place–we’re a people. We are able to do what we do through a group of dedicated volunteers who passionately believe hope belongs to everyone. We’re committed to bringing that hope by meeting the needs of the whole person–mind, body, and soul. From the minute you walk in, you can expect a friendly welcome...

What it reported doing in 2024

Single Moms, or Thrive, a gathering place for single moms to lift each other up. On Tuesday evenings, women on similar journeys have a chance to share a meal and some candid conversation. Childcare is provided, which gives everyone time to rejuvenate while listening to a speaker, getting spiritual encouragement, or doing a craft together while sharing struggles and victories as single parents. Evenings are often filled with laughter, sometimes tears, and always inspiration to thrive! There is also a group for Spanish-speaking moms, led by a team of Spanish-speaking mentors.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83.8%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 77%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -8.5%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.62; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.1%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -13.5% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 26.8% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 83.8% of revenue deployed · 77% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 16 filed program accomplishments · $654K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $94K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.