BUFFALO HEARING & SPEECH CENTER INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

BUFFALO HEARING & SPEECH CENTER INC

EIN 16-0776186 · Health Care (E56Z)

What they do

BHSC is A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT OFFERS COMPREHENSIVE DIAGNOSIS and TREATMENT for COMMUNICATION IMPAIRMENTS of OVER 8,000 INDIVIDUALS and FAMILIES ANNUALLY. THE CENTER is A NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT APPROVED 4410(1)(K) PRESCHOOL and SCHOOL AGE PROGRAM for CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS and is ALSO APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AS AN EARLY INTERVENTION PROVIDER and AS A DIAGNOSTIC TREATMENT CENTER. BUFFALO HEARING and SPEECH CENTER is NATIONALLY ACCREDITED BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of SPEECH and HEARING CENTERS and HAS PROVIDED SERVICES IN THE WESTERN NEW YORK REGION SINCE 1953.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $84.80 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders24 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

84.88%of revenue went to mission work84.8% of expenses · Program services

$100.06spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

15.19%of revenue went to management and office costs15.2% of expenses

$0.33in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

1.6%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $16,765 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $221,259 for JOSEPH COZZO (PRESIDENT/ CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2025

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$25,866,216

Mission workProgram services$21,955,06984.88% of revenue84.8% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$3,927,91215.19% of revenue15.2% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations0.00% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Total expenses$25,882,981100.06% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2025CurrentExpense mix: 84.8% mission · 15.2% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.06% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 85.0% mission · 15.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.33% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 84.5% mission · 15.5% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.60% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 87.5% mission · 12.5% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.32% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 85.2% mission · 14.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.84% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 85.1% mission · 14.9% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.98% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 86.0% mission · 14.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.88% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 85.9% mission · 14.1% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.62% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$25,866,216

Expenses$25,882,981

Annual shortfall $16,765 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$21,955,069 · 84.8% of expenses

Management and office costs$3,927,912 · 15.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$25,866,216

Expenses$25,882,981

Assets$8,638,962

Income$25,866,216

Contributions$402,283

Mission work (program services)$21,955,069

Management and general$3,927,912

Stocks and bonds$1,065,224

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

JOSEPH COZZOPRESIDENT/ CEO · 40 hrs/week $221,259Base $216,865 · Other $4,394

JOSEPH SONNENBERGVP OF OPERATIONS · 40 hrs/week $160,158Base $157,544 · Other $2,614

LYNN SHEADIRECTOR OF ECP · 40 hrs/week $137,446Base $128,173 · Other $9,273

ALLISON MERLINOCFO · 40 hrs/week $134,969Base $117,874 · Other $17,095

BARRY FRANCISDIRECTOR OF IT · 40 hrs/week $134,699Base $117,604 · Other $17,095

KARA MURPHYDIRECTOR OF HR · 40 hrs/week $134,286Base $117,204 · Other $17,082

AMY BAMRICKDIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERV · 40 hrs/week $125,279Base $108,384 · Other $16,895

KRISTY VOGELCOMM. PROGRAM MANAGER · 40 hrs/week $120,787Base $118,288 · Other $2,499

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (24)

JOSEPH COZZOPRESIDENT/ CEO

JOSEPH SONNENBERGVP OF OPERATIONS

LYNN SHEADIRECTOR OF ECP

ALLISON MERLINOCFO

BARRY FRANCISDIRECTOR OF IT

KARA MURPHYDIRECTOR OF HR

AMY BAMRICKDIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERV

KRISTY VOGELCOMM. PROGRAM MANAGER

LAURA GIOIA MADIRECTOR

ZACHARY HOWESECOND VICE CHAIRMAN

TODD TEVENSCHAIRMAN

STEVEN HARVEY PHDDIRECTOR

SAMUEL SAVARINODIRECTOR

ROBIN TOMASULADIRECTOR

PAUL BANASDIRECTOR

MARSHA KOELMELFIRST VICE CHAIRMAN

ANNETTE HERRMANDIRECTOR

DANIEL REININGADIRECTOR

LAURA FAIRBROTHERDIRECTOR

CATHERINE CAMPBELLTREASURER

CHRISTOPHER TIRABASSI MBA CMPEDIRECTOR

DANIEL MECCADIRECTOR

GERALD CHIARISECRETARY

DENNIS SZEFELDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1960
Location: 50 EAST NORTH ST, BUFFALO, NY 14203
County: Erie
In care of: JOSEPH COZZO
Primary officer: JOSEPH COZZO, PRESIDENT

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(716) 885-8318

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: LUMSDEN & MCCORMICK LLP
NTEE classification: Health Care (E56Z)