Hope Cooperative

Legal name: Tlcs Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
942777955
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Sacramento, CA, US
Phone
916.441.0123
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$78,408,792
Expenses
$45,730,891
Assets
$100,078,033
Liabilities
$27,459,201

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR CHRISTINA Y BILYEU (PRESIDENT)
  • VIRGIL PACHECO (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • APRIL LUDWIG (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • JORDAN TRALLER (PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT): $233,179 total reported compensation
  • APRIL LUDWIG (CEO): $226,665 total reported compensation
  • MARLYN SEPULVEDA (COO): $193,826 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Hope Cooperative (aka TLCS) provides behavioral health and supportive housing services to people in Sacramento County.

What it reported doing in 2024

For more than four decades, tlcs, inc. (dba hope cooperative) has provided housing, mental health, and supportive services throughout sacramento county. Each year, the organization serves more than 10,000 individuals through a comprehensive network of programs focused on recovery, housing stability, and community inclusion. In addition to its core residential, case management, and outreach programs, hope cooperative operates crisis respite services, outpatient treatment and recovery programs, and other specialized initiatives that promote mental wellness and self-sufficiency across the community. The following represent the three largest program services, as measured by expenses. See sch. O for continuation.hope cooperative's residential programs experienced significant growth, providing housing and support to nearly 1,000 individuals experiencing homelessness, including those living with mental health challenges and substance use disorders. The programs include a range of housing options-temporary shelter, interim, transitional, and permanent housing-each supported by onsite services that promote stability and independence. These include life skills training, financial literacy, crisis intervention, tenancy support, and linkage to behavioral health, medical, legal, and employment resources. Residents also benefit from community integration activities and volunteer opportunities that foster recovery and empowerment. This expansion underscores hope cooperative's ongoing commitment to creating lasting housing solutions for sacramento's most vulnerable neighbors.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 96% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 77% for direct work, and 23% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 72
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 55.4%; rating input score 55
  • Program expense ratio: 95%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14,718.73 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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; 77th 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: 41.7%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.19; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.5%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.1% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 21.5% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 28.8% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 55.4% of revenue deployed · 95% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $43.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $233K · 16 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $14.6M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 37 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 46/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.