Youth Improving Non-profits for Children

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521936144
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2124014039
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,885,530
Expenses
$4,957,473
Assets
$5,596,741
Liabilities
$219,851

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

Leadership & pay

42 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LAUREN ELICKS MCCORT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • REHANA FARRELL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (RETIRED 3/15/25))
  • EVAN WILDSTEIN (PRESIDENT)
  • WILLIAM Q DERROUGH (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • LAUREN ELICKS MCCORT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $298,903 total reported compensation
  • JEFFERY PAQUETTE (CFO/COO): $268,320 total reported compensation
  • KRYSTAL CASON (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $200,902 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Youth, improving non-profits for children (d/b/a "youth inc") strengthens youth-serving nonprofits by equipping them with the tools, resources, and strategies to overcome barriers, achieve sustainable growth, and expand their impact. We believe that investing in organizations dedicated to youth development is an investment in the future. Our theory of change is that by providing coaching, connections, and capital, we empower youth-serving organizations to achieve and sustain lasting impact and deliver measurable results that improve the lives of young people.since its founding in 1995, youth inc has been a vital partner to nonprofits, helping to strengthen their growth through targeted capacity-building programs, ensuring that behind every success story are strong systems, sound strategies, steady leadership and supported teams.

What it reported doing in 2025

Youth inc's governance programs support nonprofit partners in strengthening board performance, engagement, and governance practices. In 2025, these programs provided support through workshops, strategy sessions, coaching, technical assistance, custom project development, and implementation support. Together in 2025, the programs reached 77% of youth inc's nonprofit partners and 133 nonprofit staff and board members. Board dynamics helped organizations strengthen board effectiveness and advance governance goals. The get on board program trained corporate professionals in nonprofit board governance and connected them through a tailored matching process with nonprofits seeking board talent. The board dynamics recruitment track helped organizations strengthen strategic board recruitment through workshops, working sessions, candidate sourcing, tool refinement, and coaching. The governance and leadership coaching series provided flexible, shorter-term support for targeted governance initiatives. Together, these programs helped partners build stronger boards and more effective governance structures in support of their organizational goals.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 94% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 81
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 56.9%; rating input score 57
  • Program expense ratio: 66.4%; rating input score 66
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.37 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd 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: 81.9%; rating input score 82; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.9%; rating input score 94; 25th 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: 15.8%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.13; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 41.4%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -5.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.1% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 56.9% of revenue deployed · 66.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 31 of 33 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $299K · 42 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $389K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 21 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 10 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 29/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.