About · Transparency
The budget, the audit, and the parts we got wrong.
We publish the whole number, not the rounded one. Below is FY2025: $3.42 million in, $3.38 million out, and 611 kids who still could not get a seat.
- FY2025 revenue
- $3.42M
- Program spend
- 81%
- Audit
- Clean, unqualified
- Reserve
- 5.1 months
Revenue
| Source | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Individual donors | $1,846,800 | 54% |
| Foundations | $820,800 | 24% |
| Corporate sponsorships | $410,400 | 12% |
| Government contracts | $273,600 | 8% |
| Earned income & other | $68,400 | 2% |
| Total | $3,420,000 | 100% |
Expenses
| Category | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Program staff | $1,778,400 | 52.6% |
| Materials & curriculum | $437,760 | 12.9% |
| Snack & kitchen | $171,000 | 5.1% |
| Transportation & vans | $157,320 | 4.7% |
| Facilities & utilities | $342,000 | 10.1% |
| Salon operations | $68,400 | 2.0% |
| Administration | $236,880 | 6.9% |
| Fundraising | $168,240 | 5.0% |
| Total | $3,360,000 | 99.3% |
Program spend is 81% when you count program staff, materials, snack, transport, and the salon. The remainder is the unglamorous machinery: rent, insurance, the audit, the payroll service, and one development director who is worth every penny.
Audit and filings
FY2025 was audited by a Portland firm and received an unqualified (clean) opinion. The Form 990 was filed in November 2025. Our reserve policy targets six months of operating expenses; we ended the year at 5.1 months after spending down $380,000 on the Cully HVAC replacement and a van transmission.
Full statements, the 990, and the auditor's letter are available on request from the operations director. We send them within two business days, and we do not ask why you want them. If you are a donor considering a major gift, we will also walk you through them line by line, which is a strange date but a good one.
Funders
We list every foundation and corporate funder over $10,000. Individual donors are not listed without permission. Current major support comes from the Rivergrass Fund, the Eastside Community Trust, the Hawthorne Hardware Community Fund, the Cully Neighborhood Association, and twelve corporate sponsors including two engineering firms, a credit union, and a barber-supply company.
What went wrong in FY2025
- We ended the year with 611 kids on the waitlist, up from 480. That is a failure of capacity, and it is the number we are least comfortable publishing.
- The Cully HVAC replacement cost $214,000, roughly double the quote. We should have replaced it in 2024 when the first quote came in.
- Staff turnover was 19%, above our 15% target. Exit interviews pointed at part-time scheduling, not pay. We have changed two schedules for FY2026.
- We missed our small-donor goal by $61,000 and covered it with a one-time foundation grant. That is not a sustainable fix and we are not pretending it is.
- One site lost a week of programming to a burst pipe in February. Families were notified late. We now have a text tree.
Complaints
If something went wrong, tell the executive director. If it involves the executive director, tell the board chair. Every complaint gets a written response within five business days, and the board reviews a summary of complaints (without names) twice a year. In 2025 we received nine complaints, resolved eight, and published what changed as a result of six of them.
Ask for the statements
Audited financials, Form 990, policies. Two business days, no gatekeeping.