MERCER STREET FRIENDS CENTER Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

MERCER STREET FRIENDS CENTER

EIN 21-0733990 · Human Services (P280)

What they do

AS A MULTI-FACETED HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY, MERCER STREET FRIENDS (MSF) DEDICATED to "NOURISHING MINDS and BODIES; EMPOWERING FAMILIES and COMMUNITIES," WORKS to REDUCE HUNGER and FOOD INSECURITY, CLOSE EDUCATION GAPS, IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING of AT-RISK POPULATIONS, and BREAK THE CYCLE of CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT IN TRENTON and MERCER COUNTY. MSF HAS IDENTIFIED THREE AREAS THAT ARE CORE CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY POVERTY: FOOD, FAMILY, and EDUCATION. AS THE FOOD BANK of MERCER COUNTY and ONE of THE MOST WELL-KNOWN NEW JERSEY LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS MOVEMENT, MERCER STREET FRIENDS OFFERS FAMILIES SUPPORT and GUIDANCE AWAY FROM A LIFE of POVERTY, INTO A LIFE of SELF-SUFFICIENCY THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMMING and COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN THE GREATER TRENTON AREA and THROUGHOUT MERCER COUNTY.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $93.40 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 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

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

They name their leaders18 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

92.69%of revenue went to mission work93.4% of expenses · Program services

2.07%of revenue went to fundraising2.1% of expenses

$99.21spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

4.45%of revenue went to management and office costs4.5% of expenses

$0.81in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

96.4%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

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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.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $158,248 for JAMES ALLEN (COO). 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 2024

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$21,888,144

Mission workProgram services$20,288,15392.69% of revenue93.4% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$974,0114.45% of revenue4.5% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$452,6332.07% of revenue2.1% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$173,3470.79% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$21,714,79799.21% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

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

2024CurrentExpense mix: 93.4% mission · 4.5% management · 2.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.21% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 92.8% mission · 4.3% management · 2.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.08% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 88.5% mission · 7.9% management · 3.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 83.46% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 84.9% mission · 12.3% management · 2.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.44% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 87.9% mission · 9.4% management · 2.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 65.61% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 83.4% mission · 12.4% management · 4.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 80.83% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 76.9% mission · 17.7% management · 5.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 104.96% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 76.4% mission · 17.8% management · 5.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 105.16% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$21,888,144

Expenses$21,714,797

Annual surplus $173,347 Revenue was higher than expenses 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)$20,288,153 · 93.4% of expenses

Management and office costs$974,011 · 4.5% of expenses

Fundraising$452,633 · 2.1% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$21,888,144

Expenses$21,714,797

Assets$17,638,494

Income$21,971,647

Contributions$21,107,128

Mission work (program services)$20,288,153

Fundraising$452,633

Management and general$974,011

Accounting fees$82,691

Investing fees$28,927

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

JAMES ALLENCOO · 40 hrs/week $158,248Base $151,502 · Other $6,746

BERNADETTE TRAPPDIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SCHO · 32 hrs/week $121,510Base $116,147 · Other $5,363

LISA BRUNODIRECTOR OF I.T. & PROJECT MANAGEMENT · 32 hrs/week $111,766Base $105,445 · Other $6,321

RANDALL WESTCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $107,876Base $102,595 · Other $5,281

LISA BANKSDIRECTOR OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION · 32 hrs/week $106,859Base $100,785 · Other $6,074

XIUMEI CHENDIRECTOR OF FINANCE · 40 hrs/week $81,558Base $78,125 · Other $3,433

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 (18)

JAMES ALLENCOO

BERNADETTE TRAPPDIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SCHO

LISA BRUNODIRECTOR OF I.T. & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

RANDALL WESTCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

LISA BANKSDIRECTOR OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

XIUMEI CHENDIRECTOR OF FINANCE

YVETTE RANDOLPHTRUSTEE

ANN BITTON GAVZYTRUSTEE

RUPERT A HALLTRUSTEE

ROBERT HOLTSECRETARY

MICHAEL GODSHALLTRUSTEE

MICHAEL CARTERTRUSTEE

LISA PARRYTRUSTEE

LAURA BONDTRUSTEE

KENNETH BLACKWELLCHAIR

GERALD DELKTREASURER

BILL HEINEMANNTRUSTEE

AUBREY W HAINESTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1960
Location: 151 MERCER ST, TRENTON, NJ 08611-1723
County: Mercer
In care of: % MINDI ROSENBLUTH
Primary officer: BERNIE FLYNN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website EmailInfo@MercerStreetFriends.org Phone(609) 396-1506

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP
NTEE classification: Human Services (P280)