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Prevent Child Abuse America

EIN 23-7235671 · Chicago, IL

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair66 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA'S (PCA AMERICA) MISSION IS TO PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT BEFORE IT OCCURS. SINCE 1972, THEY HAVE DEVELOPED, PROMOTED AND SCALED PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES PROVEN BY SCIENCE THAT ENABLE KIDS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE. THEY TACKLE THIS ISSUE THROUGH THREE MAIN APPROACHES: INTERVENTION, ADVOCACY, AND RESEARCH.

Income
$2.1 million
Spending
$2.8 million
Spent on programs
75%
Reserves
31.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 54%
Employees
47
Volunteers
63
Highest pay
$83,722, president & ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending March 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 66 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 31.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 15% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 33% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 79% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    75% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 22 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending March 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    26 of 27 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 March 31, 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 (6)
  1. $1.0 million spent. PREVENTION PROGRAMS -HEALTHY FAMILIES AMERICA IS AN EVIDENCE-BASED HOME VISITING MODEL LED BY PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA. BY SUPPORTING PARENTS IN THE HOME, HEALTHY FAMILIES AMERICA BUILDS A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR SAFE, NURTURING, AND TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CAREGIVER AND CHILD THAT MAXIMIZES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL AND ENJOY LIFELONG SUCCESS. HFA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE SCHOOL READINESS, REDUCE CHILD MALTREATMENT AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, AND IMPROVE FAMILY ECONOMIC STABILITY, AMONG OTHER POSITIVE OUTCOMES.
  2. $225,143 spent. PREVENTION RESEARCH. RESEARCH INFORMS ALL THE WORK WE DO AT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA. OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS WORK ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT OUR PREVENTION STRATEGIES ARE GUIDED BY THE BEST AVAILABLE DATA AND EVIDENCE. THEY ALSO TRANSLATE RESEARCH FINDINGS FOR PRACTICE AND POLICY AUDIENCES, ELEVATING LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE FIELD AND ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT WORKS, AND SUPPORT OUR NETWORK OF STATE CHAPTERS THROUGH GRANTS TO STUDY INNOVATION IN CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION. ADDITIONALLY, PCAA'S RESEARCH TEAM LEADS PROJECTS THAT ENHANCE OUR SIGNATURE HOME VISITING PROGRAM, HEALTHY FAMILIES AMERICA (HFA). CURRENTLY, THEY ARE WORKING TO STRENGTHEN ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY TO COLLECT, ANALYZE, AND DRIVE CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ACROSS THE HFA MODEL.
  3. $275,595 spent. PREVENTION EDUCATION AND AWARENESS: GREAT COMMUNICATIONS CAN CHANGE LIVES. AT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA, WE COMMUNICATE VIA A WIDE RANGE OF INTEGRATED PUBLIC AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS TO HELP ENSURE THE SAFE, STABLE, AND NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS AND ENVIRONMENTS THAT ENABLE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TO THRIVE.
  4. $333,316 spent. STRATEGY ACTIVITIES: AT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA, WE ENVISION A WORLD WHERE ALL CHILDREN AND FAMILIES HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO THRIVE AND PROSPER. PCAA EMBARKED ON A COMPREHENSIVE, ADAPTIVE STRATEGY PROCESS IN 2022 TO SET A VISION FOR THE CREATION OF A PRIMARY PREVENTION ECOSYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES THAT BUILDS THE WELLBEING OF OUR NATION'S CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. THEY DEVELOPED A BOLD THEORY OF CHANGE A COMPREHENSIVE, EVIDENCED-BASED, AND BOLD PREVENTION FRAMEWORK THAT CAN GUIDE NOT ONLY THE WORK OF PCA AMERICA, BUT ALSO THE BROADER PREVENTION FIELD AND POLICY MAKERS INTO THE FUTURE. THE FRAMEWORK IS GROUNDED IN THE PRIMARY PREVENTION AND SYSTEMS CHANGE LITERATURE AND WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH A SERIES OF DESIGN SESSIONS, INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS THAT ENGAGED NEARLY 1700 INDIVIDUALS REPRESENTING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES.
  5. $128,497 spent. PREVENTION ADVOCACY. THE PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY PROGRAM AT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA OPERATES ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL TO MOBILIZE NONPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL POLICIES AND PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO HELP FACILITATE EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS, TOO. WHEN COMMUNITIES, POLICYMAKERS, AND RESOURCES ARE INVESTED IN PREVENTION STRATEGIES, WE CAN BEGIN TO ENVISION A WORLD WHERE THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES FROM CHILD MALTREATMENT WILL BE NONEXISTENT.
  6. $85,394 spent. CHAPTER ACTIVITIES: THE PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA (PCA AMERICA) NATIONWIDE STATE CHAPTER NETWORK RANGES FROM INDEPENDENT 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO AGENCIES THAT OPERATE UNDER UMBRELLA ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, HOSPITALS, AND UNIVERSITIES. CHAPTERS CONTRIBUTE INVALUABLY TO OUR COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTION EFFORTS, PROVIDING STATE-LEVEL EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES AND ULTIMATELY AMPLIFYING OUR WORK WIDELY IN COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE. THEY WORK IN TANDEM WITH A WIDE ARRAY OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO DELIVER VALUABLE DAY-TO-DAY PREVENTION WORK, INCLUDING THE FORMULATION OF INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS ISSUES SUCH AS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE, RAISING AWARENESS FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT, AND ADVOCATING WITH STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO BENEFIT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Source: Form 990 for the year ending March 31, 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 March 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 June 1999.

    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.