The Priority Center Ending the Generational Cycle
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 330013237
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Santa Ana, CA, USA
- Phone
- 7145434333
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Child Abuse, Prevention
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $10,396,094
- Expenses
- $9,299,844
- Assets
- $3,628,050
- Liabilities
- $1,371,938
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
27 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- KATHY MCCARRELL (CHIEF EXECTUTIVE OFFICER): $190,643 total reported compensation
- WILLIAM TORNQUIST (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $127,449 total reported compensation
- JANEL FALCON (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $124,686 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 mission of the priority center is to deliver life-changing programs to assist people in crisis by giving them the tools and support necessary to end the generational cycle of trauma.
What it reported doing in 2024
Mental health services- provides a team of clinicians and mental health workers to support individuals of all ages who are experiencing a mental health crisis including suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempts, or thoughts to hurt others, but dont meet the criteria for hospitalization. All services are delivered as field based crisis support and include assessment, therapy, outreach, peer mentoring and case management. The team is available 24/7 to support adults, children, and families in crisis. The focus is to prevent hospitalization or rehospitalization, and when applicable, keeping the family unit together in the best interest of the client. This is accomplished by providing immediate crisis response, offering short-term in-home therapy, linkage to resources, and rehabilitation services.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 78% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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.
- 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 73
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 44
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.2%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 80.7%; rating input score 81
- Fundraising efficiency: $18.76 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 22nd 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: Pass
- 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: Limited
- 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: 10.5%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.39; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.38; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.3%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 72.2% of revenue deployed · 80.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $7.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $191K · 27 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 55/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 11/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule G fundraiser detail did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 39/100.