Washtenaw Care-Based Safety

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
883216853
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Phone
7346494678
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$13,896
Expenses
$257,719
Assets
$416,143
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Liz Kennedy (Co-Director)
  • Yodit Mesfin Johnson (Co-Chair)
  • Nat Holbrook Combs (Co-Chair)

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

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

Overview

Mission

Care-Based Safetys mission is to provide a nonpolice response program that will grow life-affirming support and opportunities for all community members in Washtenaw County. We deliver a community cocreated program with two mutually reinforcing aspects: Community Building and Crisis Response. We respond to conflict and crisis with trauma-informed care; prevent destructive conflict and crisis through skill building and social support; and collaborate with community partners in addressing the root causes of crisis in Washtenaw County MI. We are peer-led and we center those most impacted by state violence: our community members who are Black & brown live with mental illness and disabilities use substances or are housing insecure and or poor as we work to build a future where crisis is met with compassionate care not criminalization. We demand care-based safety for all.

What it reported doing in 2025

Care-Based Safety CBS provides a non-police crisis response and community support program in Washtenaw County MI. CBS offers peer-led crisis intervention harm reduction conflict mediation and community-building initiatives to address urgent needs without law enforcement involvement. Through its Ypsilanti Response Pilot Preventing Harm and Crisis Workshop Series and advocacy efforts CBS works to create sustainable life-affirming alternatives to policing and incarceration. CBS prioritizes support for Black and Brown community members those experiencing housing insecurity people with disabilities and individuals impacted by substance use and mental health challenges. By centering care over criminalization CBS is building a safer more just community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 80
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 68.9%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1,754.6%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.61; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 62.8% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -92% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -15.6% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 68.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $177K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.