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Childrens Institute Inc

EIN 23-7102632 · Rochester, NY

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak45 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

JOINING TOGETHER TO RAISE EVERY CHILD'S COMPLETE WELLBEING.

Income
$5.5 million
Spending
$6.3 million
Spent on programs
90%
Reserves
3.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 47%
Employees
61
Volunteers
18
Highest pay
$144,750, interim executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Weak: 45 out of 100. Higher than 17% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 3.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 42% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 16% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 33% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    90% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 69% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    12 of 12 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (5)
  1. $2.4 million spent. NATIONAL SERVICES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS:CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE HAS PARTICIPATED IN AND MANAGED SEVERAL MULTI-AGENCY COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS. THE ORGANIZATION IS FIRMLY GROUNDED IN THE PHILOSOPHY THAT WE CAN DO MORE FOR CHILDREN WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER THAN WHEN WE WORK IN "SILOS." CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE EMBODIES THIS PRINCIPLE BY PARTICIPATING IN COMMUNITY INITIATIVES (WHETHER PAID OR UNPAID), OFFERING RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TO ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERS, AND TAKING ON LEADERSHIP ROLES TO MOVE COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY WORK FORWARD USING SHARED DATA AND SUCCESS METRICS. CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE IS CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN SEVERAL COMMUNITY INITIATIVES: ROC THE FUTURE, A CRADLE TO CAREER INITIATIVE, GROW-ROCHESTER A UNIVERSAL SCREENING INITIATIVE OF ROCHESTER'S 3-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN IN VISION, HEARING, COGNITIVE, MOTOR, LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, HEIGHT, WEIGHT, (I.E., BMI) AND ORAL HEALTH (I.E., DENTAL); ROCHESTER AREA PARENT PROGRAM (RAPP), A PARENT ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE, COMET A WEB-BASED INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT ENABLES THE LONGITUDINAL COLLECTION MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT OF MULTISECTOR (HEALTH, EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES) INFORMATION AND WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES ACROSS NYS AND THE NATION IN REGARDS TO THE ABOVE EFFORTS.CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE IS KNOWN AS A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN AND OFFERS A DIVERSE NUMBER OF SERVICES, PROGRAMS, AND SUPPORTS. CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE PROVIDES TRAINING, SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT, CONSULTATION, AND EVALUATION FOR INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS. SERVICES INCLUDE PRIMARY PROJECT, THE ROCHESTER EARLY CHILDHOOD PARTNERSHIP (RECAP), GROW-ROCHESTER, AND ROCHESTER AREA PARENT PROGRAM. TO ENABLE THE APPRAISAL OF PROGRESS TOWARD GOALS AND MEASUREMENT OF POSITIVE OUTCOMES, TOOLS ARE PROVIDED TO FACILITATE THE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT MEANS TO CHART, TRACK, STUDY, IMPROVE, AND IMPLEMENT KNOWLEDGE, STRATEGIES, AND PRACTICES THAT SERVE CHILDREN. TOOLS PROVIDED ARE VALID, RELIABLE, NORMED, AND CAN BE ACCESSED ONLINE THROUGH THE COMET SYSTEM, A WEB-BASED MEANS OF CAPTURING, STORING, AND REPORTING ON NEW DATA, AND IF APPLICABLE, INTEGRATING WITH EXISTING DATA AND SYSTEMS.
  2. $1.1 million spent. WHOLE CHILD CONNECTION:THE WHOLE CHILD CONNECTION (THE CONNECTION) WORKS TOWARD THE TRANSFORMATION OF SETTINGS WHERE CHILDREN AND YOUTH GROW, LEARN AND PLAY, SO THAT ALL ADULTS INTENTIONALLY FOSTER THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. THE CONNECTION CREATES SUSTAINED COLLABORATION, AUTHENTIC WORKING RELATIONSHIPS, AND CUSTOMIZED SERVICES; PROVIDES TRAINING, CONSULTATION, AND SUPPORTS, GROUNDED IN RESEARCH AND INFORMED BY DATA; AND ENGAGES IN ACTION-ORIENTED RESEARCH AND EVALUATION, INFORMED BY PRACTITIONERS, WORKING ACROSS MULTIPLE SETTINGS THAT SERVE CHILDREN TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES ACROSS SYSTEMS.
  3. $456,748 spent. DATA AND SCIENCE:CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE'S STAFF ARE SKILLED IN A RANGE OF STATE-OF-THE-ART RESEARCH, EVALUATION, AND TRAINING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES, AND BRINGS TOGETHER ACADEMIC, EDUCATIONAL AND HUMAN SERVICE SECTORS TO POSE QUESTIONS AND FIND ANSWERS WITHIN A RANGE OF TOPICS. THEY BUILD BRIDGES BETWEEN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE TO ENSURE THAT CHILD- AND YOUTH-SERVING PROFESSIONALS ARE USING RESEARCH-INFORMED PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES. INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAMS USED BY SCHOOLS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ENABLES SUCH ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPROVE THEIR ABILITY TO MAKE INFORMED DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS. CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE USES AN INTEGRATED SET OF EVALUATION SERVICES AND PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS TOOLS FOR THESE PURPOSES.
  4. $105,597 spent. COMET AND OTHER PROGRAMS:COMET IS A DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING TOOL EMBEDDED IN SEVERAL OF OUR PROGRAMS' SERVICE DELIVERY, ENHANCING OUR CORE COMPETENCIES AND TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE, AS WELL AS SUPPORTING SYSTEM INTEGRATION. COMET HELPS US ACHIEVE OUR MISSION BY SECURELY SUPPORTING WEB-BASED COLLECTION AND STORING OF ASSESSMENT RESPONSES AND OTHER CHILD-CENTRIC DATA, ENABLING SCALING OF OUR SERVICES FOR EXISTING AND NEW COMMUNITY PROJECTS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ORGANIZATIONS AND FAMILIES SERVED. CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR PRODUCT SALES AND SHIPMENT OF PROGRAM RESOURCE MATERIALS AND ASSESSMENT MEASURES ARE MANAGED BY PRODUCTION. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SALES OF THESE PRODUCTS AND THE IP EARNED FROM COMET USAGE OF CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE'S ASSESSMENT MEASURES.
  5. $1.7 million spent. ROC THE FUTURE: ROC THE FUTURE IS A COLLECTIVE IMPACT INITIATIVE BRINGING TOGETHER A COALITION OF PARTNERS WORKING TOWARDS A SHARED VISION OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS FOR EVERY CHILD. ROC THE FUTURE IS A MEMBER OF THE STRIVETOGETHER CRADLE TO CAREER NETWORK, A NATIONAL MOVEMENT IMPACTING THE LIVES OF 13.7 MILLION YOUTH AND COUNTING.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since April 1971.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.