America on Track
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Serving more than 44,000 Orange County children and families each year, America On Track breaks the cycle of poverty, incarceration, and hopelessness through long-term youth development, education, and life-enhancing programs. America On Track (AOT), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 1995 to fill identified service delivery gaps in the fields of human services, education, health & fitness, tobacco/vape & drug use prevention, and public health policy implementation throughout Orange County. The mission of America On Track is to inspire Brighter Futures by building youth leaders, supporting families, and strengthening communities through life-transforming programs. Our vision is to create more vibrant communities by addressing social inequities and health disparities through evidence-based programs. Our motto is: Creating Brighter Futures for Communities & Youth since 1995!
- Income
- $2.4 million
- Spending
- $2.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 95%
- Reserves
- 15.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 70%
- Employees
- 16
- Volunteers
- 318
- Highest pay
- $139,610, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 96 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 15.5 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 21% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 15% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 16% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1595% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 8 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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)
- $361,821 spent. America On Track continued to implement 2 Tobacco Prevention Project grants from the County of Orange Health Care Agency that serve the Newport Mesa Unified School District and Brea Olinda Unified School District catchment areas for a grant period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2027. In both target areas, services provided at schools and youth-serving organizations within the district boundaries include: 1) creating an inventory of youth-serving organizations in the selected district boundaries; 2) conducting relationship-building activities with adult representatives from schools and youth-serving organizations; 3) providing youth recruitment presentations; 4) recruiting, training and educating youth to help them identify smoking and vaping prevention activities; 5) collaborating with youth who are recruited to engage them in the smoking and vaping prevention activities that they identify; 6) creating and maintaining an educational smoking and vaping prevention social media campaign to increase awareness and positive youth development among youth; and 7) conducting educational activities for parents to raise their awareness about the harms of smoking and vaping and to provide prevention resources to support them in talking to their children about not vaping.
- $722,034 spent. Since 2010, America On Track has been implementing three consecutive 5-year grants from the California Tobacco Control Project (CTCP), California Department of Public Health to reduce secondhand smoke exposure in Orange County, with an additional "Empowering Local Communities to End the Tobacco Epidemic" grant being awarded as of May 2023. The goals of our On Track for a Tobacco-Free Orange County and our On Track to End the Tobacco Epidemic projects are to address social determinants of health and to reduce health disparities that are prevalent in communities with high Latino and Asian populations and high percentages of low socioeconomic status and limited-education individuals. We accomplish our goals by engaging in activities to facilitate the adoption and implementation of: Smoke-Free City policies in Santa Ana, Buena Park, and Stanton; Voluntary Smoke-Free MUH policies throughout Orange County; and policies eliminating the sale and distribution of menthol and other flavored tobacco products in the cities of Buena Park, Stanton, and Fullerton. America On Track has successfully accomplished the goal of eliminating the sale and distribution of menthol and other flavored tobacco products as well as the goal of getting a Smoke-Free City policy adopted in the City of Buena Park. Buena Park adopted a Tobacco Retail License and Flavor Ban ordinance in 2021, and then in 2022 they adopted a Comprehensive Smoke-Free City and Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Residence ordinance that protects residents from unwanted secondhand smoke exposure. We also accomplished our goal of eliminating the sale and distribution of menthol and other flavored tobacco products in the City of Stanton, who adopted a strengthened Tobacco Retail License and Flavor Ban ordinance in November 2024.
- $178,794 spent. Since 2017, America On Track has been awarded grants (2013-2017, 2017-2020, and 2021-2025) from the County of Orange Health Care Agency, Nutrition Services to provide direct and indirect nutrition education to adults and children who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and who subsist below the federal poverty level in various key locations in Orange County. The current grant specifically focuses on providing CalFresh Healthy Living direct and indirect nutrition education services in the cities of Buena Park and Santa Ana. In FY24, America On Track provided a total of 254 Nutrition Education lessons to 7,293 low-income youth, adults and seniors throughout the cities of Buena Park and Santa Ana.
- $389,957 spent. America On Track's Brighter Futures for Children of Prisoners program is a holistic and multi-faceted comprehensive approach to helping the most vulnerable children of Orange County. Since 2004, the successes of our Brighter Futures program for children of prisoners have been based on 5 interwoven components: a one-on-one mentoring program with trained and carefully selected adults who meet with their mentees every week for 2 hours per week; STEAM workshops on a regular basis to promote a useful and fun approach to science; a "College Is For Me Too" summer educational/inspirational camp at a college campus to demonstrate that college is attainable and enjoyable; free age-appropriate books, and special outings. Additionally, nutritional seminars and wraparound services are provided to the guardians. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the annual cost of mass incarceration in the United States is $81 billion. Additionally, California has an incarceration rate of 549 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democracy on earth! The children of incarcerated parents (over 20,000 in OC alone) who did not choose these parents are predicted to follow in their footsteps if they do not receive support and guidance. AOT is the only nonprofit in OC providing comprehensive services to these "forgotten" children. In FY24, a total of 573 unduplicated individuals (including mentees, mentors and family members) participated in the multi-dimensional components of our Brighter Futures program.
- $312,632 spent. America On Track's Emerging Leaders for Civic Engagement program is a unique, multi-faceted afterschool program designed to inspire today's youth to become tomorrow's leaders through a focus on the development of strong leadership and public speaking skills in order to help create a brighter future. It is a huge time commitment because it pairs outstanding teens with 4th through 6th grade students in a very structured afterschool program that requires weekly attendance from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm throughout the entire school year (30 sessions). America On Track staff members lead the program that provides the following components: Leadership Training, effective Public Speaking Skills Coaching, Social & Character Development, Nutrition Education, Music Appreciation as well as Fitness & Recreation, and much more. The teen leaders participate in the leadership process provided by America On Track, and their many talents and skills are incorporated into various components of the program. The teens receive intensive and ongoing training and are coached to assist in presenting lessons. It is a synergistic approach to developing future leaders. Our Emerging Leaders for Civic Engagement program is designed to benefit the teens and the elementary school students as well as our communities. In FY24, a total of 227 unduplicated youth participate in our weekly Emerging Leaders for Civic Engagement sessions throughout the year.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
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.
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.
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.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 1996.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
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.