The Night Ministry

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
363145764
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
7737849000
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Children's, Youth Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,607,790
Expenses
$10,844,388
Assets
$17,729,231
Liabilities
$5,135,144

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CAROL J SHARP (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • CAROL J SHARP (PRESIDENT & CEO): $248,062 total reported compensation
  • KRISTIN SCHNEIDER (VP PEOPLE FINANCE OPS (AS OF 2/24)): $150,565 total reported compensation
  • ALLISON MCCANN-STEVENSON (VP PROGRAMS & SERVICES (AS OF 7/24)): $142,344 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The night ministry is a chicago-based organization whose mission is to provide human connection, housing support and health care to those who are unhoused or experiencing poverty.

What it reported doing in 2024

Youth programs: the night ministry's youth housing programs provide a continuum of services for youth experiencing homelessness. The youth outreach team supports young people who are unstably housed or unhoused, helping them make a safe plan for themselves, sometimes including shelter. The crib is an emergency overnight shelter with 21 beds, providing basic needs for 18-24 year olds on a night-to-night basis. The interim shelter at open door shelter west town provides 24-hour support and shelter for 16 young people ages 14-21. (see sch o) youth programs also provides two transitional housing programs serving 16-24 year olds for as long as two years: pathways (12 beds) and parenting with purpose, which serves young people who are either pregnant or parenting (8 beds, plus infant cribs). The flexible housing pool provides a long-term subsidy for 92 young people (18+ years old and their children) through a partnership to provide housing for individuals involved in one or more public assistance systems, including the homeless services system. Overall, tnm's youth programs served 629 youth and their 142 children during the year ended june 30, 2025.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 72%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 70%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.72 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 95%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -2.2%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.63; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.9%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17.3% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 72% of revenue deployed · 70% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $7.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $248K · 29 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 42 of 42 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 45/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 23/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.