The Hope Light Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
204527582
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Hazelwood, MO, USA
Phone
3148384959
Rating
44
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Cancer

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$65,734
Expenses
$68,008
Assets
$151,374
Liabilities
$68,008

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Michael Murray (Director)
  • John Davis (Director)
  • Beth Lynn (Director)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The primary purpose of the Foundation is to communicate cancer awareness information on all cancers in Illinois and Missouri to educate the general public and providers on all cancers signs and symptoms to promote early cancer detection and survivorship. Our primary focus is on rural and medically underserved communities with healthcare professional shortages. Our research includes identifying, evaluating and documenting cancer new case and death rates along with demographic and socioeconomic information to determine where to target outreach and awareness education in communities with the greatest need for help to fight cancer. We also maintain the Metropolis Lighthouse "Hope Light" that is the worlds only lighthouse designed, built and dedicated to the fight against cancer with a symbolic purpose to guide people to the Hope Light website to obtain cancer signs and symptoms with the hope of detecting cancer early when it is easier to treat and survive.

What it reported doing in 2025

Worked with University of Chicago Medicine and Cass County Health Department to develop and deploy a Flu/FIT program to increase CRC screening rates at flu vaccine events and other outreach activities. The program included encouraging event participants to take a Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) kit home and return a stool sample to the Health Department for analysis and results follow-up. More than 500 residents participated in this program.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 3
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 2.6%; rating input score 3
  • Program expense ratio: 2.5%; rating input score 3

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.5%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.23; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.45; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -29.3% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4.4% per year; rating input score 0; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -10.5% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 2.6% of revenue deployed · 2.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 8 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 3/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part III transfer expenses within program total did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 36/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.