Dispute Resolution Center
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE DISPUTE RESOLUTION CENTER IS DEDICATED TO RESTORING COMMUNITIES BY PROMOTING THE CONSTRUCTIVE RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT THROUGH OPEN COMMUNICATION AND SHARED DECISION-MAKING.
- Income
- $500,494
- Spending
- $453,208
- Spent on programs
- 72%
- Reserves
- 4.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 54%
- Employees
- 4
- Volunteers
- 97
- Highest pay
- $110,017, executive di
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
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 9% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 21% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1572% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 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
Good: 83 out of 100. Higher than 58% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2510 of 10 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no 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
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (1)
- $325,848 spent. DRC IS DEDICATED TO RESTORING AND EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES BY PROMOTING THE CONSTRUCTIVE RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT THROUGH OPEN COMMUNICATION AND SHARED DECISION-MAKING. FOUNDED IN 1982 AS A PILOT PROJECT CO-SPONSORED BY THE RAMSEY COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION, THE CITY OF SAINT PAUL, AND THE MINNESOTA SUPREME COURT, DRC IS MINNESOTA'S OLDEST COMMUNITY MEDIATION ORGANIZATION. DRC OPERATES AT THE INTERSECTION OF JUSTICE AND COMMUNITY, OFFERING CIVIL, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY MEDIATION; RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND DIVERSION; RESTORATIVE PRACTICES TRAINING; COMMUNITY HEALING CIRCLES; AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. 2024 OUTCOMES: MEDIATION: IN 2024, DRC'S MEDIATION PROGRAM PROVIDED SUPPORT TO 471 INDIVIDUALS THROUGH 209 MEDIATION SESSIONS, INCLUDING 67 IN HOUSING COURT, 33 IN HARASSMENT COURT, 38 IN CONCILIATION COURT, AND 71 COMMUNITY CASES. THE PROGRAM ACHIEVED A 75% SETTLEMENT RATE, RESULTING IN 157 FORMAL AGREEMENTS, AND SUPPORTED 198 REFERRALS TO RENTHELPMN FOR ADDITIONAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE. THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFIED AS BLACK (59.3%), FOLLOWED BY WHITE (22.7%), MULTICULTURAL (10.9%), HISPANIC (2.8%), AMERICAN INDIAN (2.7%), SOMALI (0.5%), PACIFIC ISLANDER (0.5%), AND 1.4% PREFERRED NOT TO ANSWER. PARTICIPANTS WERE PREDOMINANTLY FEMALE (72.5%), WITH MALES COMPRISING 25.6%, TRANSGENDER MALES 0.5%, AND 1.4% PREFERRING NOT TO ANSWER. REGARDING HOUSEHOLD DISABILITY, 50.2% REPORTED NO HOUSEHOLD MEMBER WITH A DISABILITY, 40.8% REPORTED AT LEAST ONE HOUSEHOLD MEMBER WITH A DISABILITY, AND 9% PREFERRED NOT TO ANSWER. SURVEY RESPONSES FROM 73 PARTICIPANTS REFLECTED HIGH SATISFACTION WITH THE MEDIATION PROCESS: 72% STRONGLY AGREED AND 14% AGREED THAT THEY FELT HEARD AND UNDERSTOOD; 41% STRONGLY AGREED AND 30% AGREED THAT MEDIATION IMPROVED THEIR COMMUNICATION WITH OTHERS; AND 65% STRONGLY AGREED AND 20% AGREED THAT THEY MADE VOLUNTARY, INFORMED, AND COLLABORATIVE DECISIONS. OVERALL, THE 2024 MEDIATION PROGRAM SUCCESSFULLY FACILITATED DIALOGUE, RESOLUTION, AND INFORMED DECISION-MAKING FOR PARTICIPANTS ACROSS DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. DRC FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING ITS MEDIATION AND HOUSING SUPPORT SERVICES. STAFF TRAINED MEDIATORS IN THE RESTORATIVE MEDIATION PROCESS AND ENHANCED THE CAPACITY OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, EQUIPPING STAFF AND INTERNS TO TAKE ON EXPANDED DUTIES. AS ALWAYS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY MEDIATION MINNESOTA (CMM), WE OFFERED FOUR TRAININGS TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR CERTIFICATION AS A MN RULE 114 QUALIFIED NEUTRAL ATTENDING A 30-HOUR CIVIL MEDIATION (JANUARY AND JULY), AND A 40-HOUR TRAINING IN FAMILY MEDIATION (JUNE AND OCTOBER). DRC ALSO ORGANIZED A PROPERTY MANAGER AND OWNER RESOURCE FAIR, ATTENDED BY 25 PARTICIPANTS. WITH THE CONCLUSION OF RENTHELPMN, THE TEAM DEVELOPED STRATEGIES FOR THE SECOND SEMESTER OF 2024, INCLUDING ONBOARDING AND TRAINING TWO NEW INTERNS AND REDESIGNING PROGRAMS. ANTICIPATING LOWER PROPERTY MANAGER PARTICIPATION WITHOUT THE RENTHELPMN INCENTIVE, DRC PLANS TO RESUME ONE-ON-ONE CONFLICT CONSULTING AND COACHING SESSIONS AS A PRIMARY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY. RESTORATIVE JUSTICE & DIVERSION DURING THE 2024-2025 GRANT CYCLE, DRC EXPANDED OUR GRO (GIVING REAL OPPORTUNITIES) AND ETHOS DIVERSION PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS OUR WEEKLY CIRCLES OF SUPPORT. THESE PROGRAMS PROVIDE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE, TRAUMA-INFORMED ALTERNATIVES TO THE TRADITIONAL JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. YIP FUNDING SUPPORTED KEY COMPONENTS OF PROGRAM DELIVERY, INCLUDING PERSONNEL (YOUTH DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, TRAINED CIRCLE KEEPERS, VOLUNTEERS), YOUTH INCENTIVES, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND DATA TRACKING. YOUTH AGES 10-24 REFERRED BY OUR PARTNERS, ST. PAUL ATTORNEY'S OFFICE (SPAO), RAMSEY COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE (RCAO), AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE COMMUNITY ACTION (RJCA), ENGAGED IN RESTORATIVE JUSTICE CIRCLES FOCUSED ON ACCOUNTABILITY, HEALING, AND GROWTH. SEVERAL OF OUR DIVERSION YOUTH ALSO PARTICIPATED IN WEEKLY CIRCLES OF SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS AND REDUCE RISK FACTORS FOR FUTURE SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT. 1. DIVERSION PROGRAM OUTCOMES: THE ETHOS PROGRAM HANDLED A TOTAL OF 181 CASES, WITH AN AVERAGE CASE DURATION OF 18.17 DAYS, DEMONSTRATING OUR COMMITMENT TO EFFICIENT RESOLUTION. NOTABLY, 64.6% OF OUR CASES ORIGINATED FROM RAMSEY COUNTY, UNDERSCORING OUR SIGNIFICANT LOCAL IMPACT. OUR CASES REFLECTED DIVERSE DEMOGRAPHICS, WITH 100 MALE AND 79 FEMALE PARTICIPANTS, AND A RACIAL COMPOSITION INCLUDING 72 AFRICAN AMERICAN, 39 WHITE, 13 HISPANIC, AND 11 ASIAN INDIVIDUALS, AMONG OTHERS. ETHOS ADDRESSED 38 SPECIAL CASES, INCLUDING INTERPRETER, GUN DIVERSION, AND PROTEST-RELATED MATTERS. THE TOP FIVE CASE TYPES WE HANDLED WERE TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS, THEFT, TRESPASS, ANIMAL-RELATED ISSUES, AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT. AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO 2025, ETHOS REMAINS DEDICATED TO PROMOTING JUSTICE AND ADDRESSING THE VARIED LEGAL NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE EXTEND OUR GRATITUDE FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT AND INVITE YOU TO CONTACT OUR OFFICE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO GET INVOLVED IN OUR MISSION. FOR OUR GRO DIVERSION PROGRAMMING, DRC CLOSED 23 CASES FOR YOUTH BETWEEN THE AGES OF 10 AND 17, OFFERING A RESTORATIVE ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT. THE RACIAL BREAKDOWN OF PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED 65.2% BLACK YOUTH, 21.7% WHITE, 8.7% HISPANIC, AND 4.3% NATIVE, WITH NO PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFYING AS ASIAN THIS YEAR. THE MAJORITY OF THE YOUTH SERVED WERE MALE AT 82.6%, WHILE FEMALES MADE UP 17.4%. MOST REFERRALS CAME FROM RAMSEY COUNTY, ACCOUNTING FOR 78.3% OF CASES, FOLLOWED BY ANOKA AND HENNEPIN COUNTIES AT 8.7% EACH, AND WASHINGTON COUNTY AT 4.3%. THE TOP FIVE CASE TYPES REFERRED TO GRO WERE ASSAULT, BURGLARY, THEFT, DISORDERLY CONDUCT, AND OBSTRUCTION TO PROPERTY. THROUGH HOLISTIC SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY, GRO CONTINUES TO FOSTER HEALING, GROWTH, AND CONNECTION AMONG YOUTH AND THEIR COMMUNITIES. ALL PROGRAM ACTIVITY WAS TRACKED IN CASELOAD MANAGER SOFTWARE, WITH QUARTERLY DATA REVIEWS. FOR REFERENCE, 23 CASES WERE CLOSED THROUGH GRO AND 181 THROUGH ETHOS, TOTALING 204 SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED CASES BEING DISMISSED OR EXPUN
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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 1983.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 2026.
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