FAMILIES RISING Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

FAMILIES RISING

EIN 51-0188951 · Human Services (P70Z)

What they do

to AMPLIFY THE VOICES of THOSE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE, SUPPORT ADOPTIVE, FOSTER, and KINSHIP FAMILIES, EDUCATE CHILD WELFARE PROFESSIONALS, and CHAMPION THE WELL-BEING of CHILDREN and FAMILIES. WHETHER YOU ARE SEEKING GUIDANCE or WORKING to DRIVE CHANGE, WE ARE HERE to WALK ALONGSIDE YOU IN YOUR ADOPTION, FOSTER CARE, and KINSHIP CARE JOURNEY.WE ARE DRIVEN BY A DEEP COMMITMENT to ENSURING EVERY CHILD IN FOSTER CARE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY to GROW UP IN A LOVING FAMILY. WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER of FAMILY, THE IMPORTANCE of IDENTITY, and THE ROLE of SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITIES IN CREATING LASTING CHANGE. WE PRIORITIZE KEEPING CHILDREN CONNECTED to THEIR FAMILIES WHENEVER POSSIBLE and SUPPORT ADOPTION WHEN REUNIFICATION is NOT AN OPTION. WE ARE EQUALLY COMMITTED to HELPING CHILDREN DEVELOP A STRONG SENSE of CULTURAL and PERSONAL IDENTITY, INCLUDING AFFIRMING LGBTQ CHILDREN and FAMILIES, WHILE BUILDING COMMUNITY and ADVOCATING for POLICIES THAT STRENGTHEN and SUSTAIN FAMILIES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $95.70 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 leaders16 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

93.61%of revenue went to mission work95.7% of expenses · Program services

0.20%of revenue went to fundraising0.2% of expenses

$97.85spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

4.03%of revenue went to management and office costs4.1% of expenses

$0.25in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

97.2%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.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $208,965 for LIGIA CUSHMAN (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$8,124,000

Mission workProgram services$7,605,22393.61% of revenue95.7% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$327,3694.03% of revenue4.1% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$16,5160.20% of revenue0.2% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$174,8922.15% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$7,949,10897.85% 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

2025CurrentExpense mix: 95.7% mission · 4.1% management · 0.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.85% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 93.0% mission · 7.0% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.10% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 87.0% mission · 12.1% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.28% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 90.9% mission · 8.1% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.02% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 89.2% mission · 9.8% management · 1.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.48% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 89.8% mission · 9.3% management · 1.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.30% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 92.1% mission · 7.0% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.28% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 90.7% mission · 7.8% management · 1.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.18% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$8,124,000

Expenses$7,949,108

Annual surplus $174,892 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)$7,605,223 · 95.7% of expenses

Management and office costs$327,369 · 4.1% of expenses

Fundraising$16,516 · 0.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$8,124,000

Expenses$7,949,108

Assets$2,002,218

Income$8,124,000

Contributions$7,900,358

Mission work (program services)$7,605,223

Fundraising$16,516

Grants given$5,135,646

Average grant$733,664

Management and general$327,369

Executive compensation (total)$150,429

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

LIGIA CUSHMANCEO · 40 hrs/week $208,965Base $200,000 · Other $8,965

RONI MCKENNACFO · 40 hrs/week $170,764Base $157,666 · Other $13,098

NATHAN ROSSCOO · 40 hrs/week $120,329Base $114,573 · Other $5,756

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 (16)

LIGIA CUSHMANCEO

RONI MCKENNACFO

NATHAN ROSSCOO

CATHY MURPHYSECRETARY

DAVID SIMMONSDIRECTOR

DENISE GOODMANPRESIDENT

JAERAN KIMVICE PRESIDENT

JAREL L SKINNER-MELENDEZDIRECTOR

KIM GRZYBOWSKIVICE PRESIDENT

KIM STEVENSDIRECTOR

MARLYN WALLDIRECTOR

MAXIMILLIAN LISEMBEEDIRECTOR

MERCEDES OBRYANT-GRUZESKIDIRECTOR

MERCEDES ZAHLERDIRECTOR

RONYA FAULKNERTREASURER

STACEY ANN MASONDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1997
Location: 2380 WYCLIFF STREET 200-11, ST PAUL, MN 55114
County: Ramsey
In care of: LIGIA CUSHMAN
Primary officer: LIGIA CUSHMAN, CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(651) 644-3036

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CARPENTER EVERT & ASSOCIATES LTD
NTEE classification: Human Services (P70Z)
IRS tax category: Child and Youth Services
Grant-giving organization: Yes