Ways for Life Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
843366048
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Melbourne, FL, USA
Phone
3212044577
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,118,004
Expenses
$772,730
Assets
$898,331
Liabilities
$83,545

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LISA MARIE SOLOWAY (PRESIDENT)
  • PAMELA BRESS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATIE STEWART (COO): $54,669 total reported compensation
  • PAMELA BRESS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $52,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We provide wraparound services to youth formerly in foster care and those experiencing homelessness, ages 15-25. In addition to supporting the successful transition to adulthood, we promote awareness of the needs of our members in our community and beyond.

What it reported doing in 2025

Ways for life expanded its holistic support and transitional housing initiatives for homeless youth and those aging out of foster care, growing total youth membership to 530 members with 226 dependent children. The organization acquired a second transitional house, increasing physical housing capacity to 8 young adults across both properties. Ways also partnered with wings of grace ministries to help open capernaum place, a 24-unit one-bedroom apartment complex located a half-mile from the main facility, providing essential permanent housing options to members experiencing homelessness.to accommodate expanding services, ways doubled its operational headquarters from one floor (5,000 sq. Ft.) to two floors (11,000 sq. Ft.). This new space allowed for the addition of a four-room onsite mental health suite in partnership with coastal wellness and life coaching, offering free therapy pursuant to a formal mou. The expansion also added a full kitchen serving lunch four days a week, where members gain life skills by helping prepare meals and clean up afterwards. In addition, the expansion provided a dedicated conference room for staff, family team conferences, and community partnership meetings. The organization's capacity was further amplified by 157 active volunteers contributing 7,650 hours of service valued at $252,450. Ways won the victory cup initiative storytelling breakfast competition which secured over $63,000 in funding and relevant philanthropic connections in central Florida.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 89% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 53.5%; rating input score 54
  • Program expense ratio: 77.1%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $100.11 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 85; 85th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 30.9%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.16; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.9%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.3% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 22.9% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 33.6% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 53.5% of revenue deployed · 77.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $596K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $55K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 54/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.