Mission: FIRST PLACE FOR YOUTH IS A CALIFORNIA NONPROFIT PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION, WHICH WAS INCORPORATED ON JULY 20, 1999, TO PREVENT POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS AMONG YOUTH ... (More)
First Place for Youth is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 2000, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Encompass Rating System by Charity Navigator
Overall Score
100
out of 100
This charity's score is a passing score.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 85% Finance & Accountability, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, and 5% Culture & Community
Learn about the Encompass Rating System: Overview | FAQ | Release Notes
Finance & Accountability
This score provides an assessment of a nonprofit's financial health (stability, efficiency and sustainability) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
Finance & Accountability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by First Place for Youth is a passing score
This V6 of the Finance & Accountability Score provides a baseline measure of an organization's health including the indicators listed in the report below.
This score represents Form 990 data from 2020, the latest year electronically filed and published by the IRS.
Finance & Accountability Report
100
of 100 points
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Program Expense Ratio
85.50%
Higher effect on score
More data
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| 70% or higher | Full Credit |
| 60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
| Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Composition
17/17 Independent
Higher effect on score
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review
Audited
Higher effect on score
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
|---|---|
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
25.15%
Lower effect on score
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| Less than 50% | Full Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
| 60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
Website
Listed
Lower effect on score
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy
Listed
Lower effect on score
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Meeting Minutes
Documented
Lower effect on score
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction
Listed
Lower effect on score
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy
Listed
Lower effect on score
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
HEIDI MCLNTOSH, CEO (TO 6/30/20)
$286,823
NEIL HENRIQUES, CHIEF OF STAFF (TO 6/30/20)
$170,294
ERIKA VAN BUREN, VP OF EVALUATION & LEARNIN
$170,194
CLAUDIA MILLER, VP OF ADVANCEMENT
$169,774
EMILY JENSEN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF PROGR
$143,238
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Business Master File Data
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Activity data not reported from the IRS
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Pandemic Response
Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
First Place for Youth reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Revenue
Staffing
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
First Place has retained our public contracts (72% of our operating budget) as well as many private funders. While we lost $300k in projected foundation grants due to COVID-19, this was offset by an outpouring of donations. Many funders removed grant restrictions, and several granted additional COVID funding, giving us the flexibility to meet the emergent needs of youth and staff. We saw positive and negative impacts to our expenses, with unforeseen costs (PPE for staff and youth, technology stipends for remote work), as well as savings, as state emergency foster care extensions resulted in lower turnover among youth served in our program, and fewer moving expenses and apartment repairs. Given our fiscally conservative stance, the overall impact of COVID-19 on our FY21 operations was a surplus of $600k, which will help build our financial stability by moving us closer to our goal of 3 months’ operating reserves. We foresee an increase in expenses now that state extensions have ended.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
After shifting to 100% virtual services in March 2020, we pivoted to a mix of in-person and virtual services in September 2020, with program staff meeting with young people in person a minimum of 3 times per month (physically distanced) and the remainder of services are over Zoom/phone/text. First Place staff supported youth with filing for unemployment insurance, connected them to transitional employment, assessed essential needs, identified/leveraged community resources, and provided youth with stipends for emergency items. After sourcing laptops and Wi-Fi connections for participants, staff and youth have become adept in building virtual community connections and leveraging virtual resources. In response to the overwhelming education and employment barriers that resulted from the economic and health crises, First Place developed a three-pronged strategy focused on critical skills development, apprenticeship job training, and apprenticeship certification and education.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
While our physical offices closed in the initial days of the pandemic, our work continued virtually. We moved youth throughout the state from homelessness into stable housing, while following social distancing guidelines. Staff and youth met virtually, and increased check-ins to ensure youth received emotional support and crisis intervention, as the uncertainty of these circumstances triggered significant childhood trauma. We leveraged community resources to provide youth with the technology needed for virtual engagement, and provided staff with stipends for technology and home office supplies to equip them for remote work. Recognizing the pandemic-related stress and burnout many employees have been facing, First Place leadership launched an Annual Employee Survey to measure, analyze, and gain insight into the health of our organization, and developed an Employee Engagement Committee to review the results of the survey and make organizational recommendations.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
First Place launched social-emotional learning supports as part of our postsecondary education coaching to ensure our education and employment services are comprehensive and trauma-informed, thereby promoting retention in postsecondary education programs. We also revamped our summer bridge programming to include a series of engagements designed to support young people’s mental well-being, resilience, and peer community. We will continue utilizing virtual meetings when helpful, as we have seen how this technology can reduce barriers to program engagement by eliminating travel and scheduling obstacles. With this increase in leveraging technology comes the need to ensure youth are equipped with the laptops and internet they need to stay connected with their First Place team, peers, and educational and employment opportunities. This is a new budget line item we will fundraise for, as well as cultivate relationships with community partners that can provide suitable items where possible.
Previous: Finance & Accountability / Next: Leadership & Adaptability
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
First Place for Youth cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Do you work at First Place for Youth? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
This beta feature is currently viewable only on desktop or tablet screens. Check back later for updates.
Largest Programs
First Place for Youth reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
$20,593,666
Spent in most recent FY
87%
Percent of program expenses
MY FIRST PLACE, A TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM, PROVIDES STABILITY FOR CURRENT AND FORMER FOSTER YOUTH THROUGH SAFE, PERMANENT, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, INTENSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT, AND ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT ... (More)
$1,693,912
Spent in most recent FY
7%
Percent of program expenses
INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS PROGRAM ("ILSP") AND FIRST FOUNDATION IS OFFERED TO YOUTH IN SAN FRANCISCO AND SOLANO COUNTIES. THROUGH ILSP, THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDES A FULL RANGE OF SERVICES, INCLUDING ED ... (More)
$644,772
Spent in most recent FY
2%
Percent of program expenses
THE GOAL OF THE MY FIRST PLACE AFFILIATE NETWORK IS TO CREATE A GROUP OF PROVIDERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO USE MY FIRST PLACE TO DELIVER STRONG OUTCOMES FOR TRANSITION AGE YOUTH AND ADVOCATE FOR IMPROV ... (More)
Previous: Impact & Results / Next: Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
This score provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by First Place for Youth is a passing score.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of the organization's Leadership & Adaptability through the nonprofit organization submitting a survey response directly to Charity Navigator.
Leadership & Adaptability Report
100
of 100 points
Mission
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s mission
Growing up without a stable home or long-term connections with caring adults creates serious consequences for foster youth that often sweep them into intergenerational cycles of foster care and poverty. First Place for Youth was founded in 1998 to prevent poverty and homelessness among the largely overlooked population of youth who have grown up in foster care. The mission of First Place is to help foster youth build the skills they need to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood. Over the past 24 years, we have developed a network of programs with evidence-based direct services, including providing safe, stable housing, paired with intensive case management to build crucial life-skills and emotional wellbeing. We consider our individualized education and employment counseling to be the core of our program, ensuring that young people have a clear path to succeed in school and build job-readiness skills qualifying them for living-wage positions.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
We believe that all young people in foster care have the potential to achieve long-term success in adulthood, and we envision a world where the disparities between them and the general population have been eliminated. First Place for Youth is a national leader in providing evidence-based direct support, increasing awareness, changing perceptions, and building a movement to make this vision a reality.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Strategic Goals
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Increase financial sustainability by proactively closing gaps in public funding, exploring revenue strategies for technical assistance, and strategizing to intentionally size our California footprint.
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Goal Two: Increase infrastructure and organizational focus to expand influence and advocacy on policy change in California and articulate the national strategy.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Three: Commit and advance principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion within our own organization and our work to transform into an equitable and anti-racist institution.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
First Place has always believed in investing in the potential of its employees—this is one of the core competencies that guide our work. Professional development plans are integrated into our employee work plans and performance reviews, and the organization covers the cost of relevant trainings. We also leverage community partnerships where possible, such as Tipping Point Community’s Emerging Leaders Fellowship, in which we currently have an employee participating. One of our strategic pillars is to transform into an equitable and anti-racist organization. To this end, First Place is working to implement our own Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Emerging Leaders Program, to support the retention and promotion of potential BIPOC leaders within the organization. This will include a mentoring program between the cohort and existing BIPOC leaders at First Place.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Mobilizing for Mission
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Policy Advocacy
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
First Place has been at the forefront of contributing knowledge to the field in how to develop more effective programs for transition-age foster youth. Our aim has always been to transform foster care, both for the individual and on a systemic level. We take a dual approach to our mission: (1) provide results-driven direct services to youth who need support pursuing their goals; and (2) advocate for public policies that improve the lives of as many foster youth as possible. Our direct service work informs our advocacy efforts, and our advocacy helps create environments that promote stability and success. As a field-building organization, we collaborate with partners across the country to share our program model, technical expertise, and visionary data tools. We are working on several fronts to raise positive impressions of and outcomes for transition-age foster youth, including through public relations, advocacy, and programmatic innovations to help them achieve their full potential.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Story of Adaptability
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
COVID-19 exacerbated the overwhelming barriers young people face when aging out of foster care—from accessing housing and healthcare to progressing in school and finding economic security—everything got even harder. As many as 60% of program participants were laid off, furloughed, had their hours cut, or otherwise had their employment negatively impacted as a result of COVID-19. One-hundred percent of youth’s education was affected, as most lacked the fundamental digital literacy skills and equipment that became pertinent to progress in school. This led to a huge pivot in our strategy to keep young people safely housed, financially stable amidst significant income loss, and also continue to support their educational progress and postsecondary readiness. First Place quickly and intentionally built out our education and employment support services to include a COVID strategy. Our ultimate goal is to support youth’s educational progress and postsecondary readiness, to ensure they are prepared to persevere through the long-lasting impacts of the pandemic. In addition to core programmatic services, staff have supported youth in securing essential items, provided digital literacy skills training, connected them to transitional employment, and creatively built community online. We are closely monitoring COVID’s continued impact on youth outcomes, and developing our education and employment strategy in step with our findings. Beyond our internal programming, we are working to ensure former foster youth are a target population in COVID-19 recovery nationwide by leveraging our research brief, Raising the Bar, a comprehensive summary of the strategic evidence-building work First Place has conducted over the past several years. Utilizing current data in combination with personal understanding of young people, we recommend a renewed education-to-employment focus, investments in extended care, individualized placement decisions, and extending the runway for those who need it.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Previous: Leadership & Adaptability
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. Learn more about how and why we rate Culture & Community.
Culture & Community Score
100
out of 100
First Place for Youth has earned a passing score. The organization provided data about how it listens to constituents (Constituent Feedback) (see report below).
The Culture & Community Beacon is comprised of the following metrics:
Constituent Feedback: 100/100 (100% of beacon score)
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Not Scored
Culture & Community Report
100
of 100 points
This beta feature is currently viewable only on desktop or tablet screens. Check back later for updates.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
This organization has not provided information regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices it is presently implementing. As such, the organization has not earned a score on this metric. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Methodology
We are utilizing data collected by Candid to document and assess the DEI practices implemented by the organization. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the Equity Strategies section of their Candid profiles to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Constituent Feedback
100/100 points
100% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
View this organization's Constituent Feedback Practices
Methodology
We've partnered with Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Below you can find more information about the metrics we currently evaluate in this beacon and their relevance to nonprofit performance.
