UPward Design for Life Corporation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
822766095
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Buffalo, NY, USA
Phone
7166987966
Rating
95
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$161,867
Expenses
$149,226
Assets
$148,249
Liabilities
$54,882

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KELLY CULTRARA (Vice President)
  • LYNN ALEXANDER (President)

People named in this filing

  • KELLY CULTRARA (Vice President)
  • DIONNE WILLAMSON (Executive Dir.)
  • STEPHANIE TISDALE (Treasurer)

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

We restore hope by transforming empty spaces into homes. The installation process begins with us receiving client referrals from our partner agencies. We then contact the client to schedule a home visit in their new residence. During the home visit we are able to determine the clients overall needs. Following the home visit, we schedule a furniture installation date at which time we return to the residence with a team of caring and dedicated volunteers, who help transform the empty residence into a fully furnished home. We do not just provide a chair, a sofa, or a table. We completely furnish an entire residence including providing cookware, dishware, utensils, small kitchen appliances, linen, towels, shower curtains and other home decor items. Furniture used in the transformations are donated from private donors and companies. Repurposing and reusing items is very important to us and for our environment.

What it reported doing in 2025

In accordance with our mission to restore hope by transforming empty spaces into homes, we served 31 households including 83 individuals which includes 51 children who are no longer sleeping on the floor. 89% of households served are clients who are female head of households and primarily domestic violence survivors who are making a fresh start.

Operating model

Revenue model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 95
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.2%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.8%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.99; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 43.6%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.9% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 20.4% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 28.7% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92.2% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $149K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.