Evangelical Childrens Home
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
See Schedule O
- Income
- $14.7 million
- Spending
- $16.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- 15.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 41%
- Employees
- 247
- Volunteers
- 200
- Highest pay
- $204,580, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 79% of charities in its peer group (human services, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 15.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 5% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 12% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (human services, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2513 of 13 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 September 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 (4)
- $4.0 million spent. Residential Treatment Services: ECH offers sepcialized care as well as both safe-intensive and aftercare residential treatment servcies for troubled children and youth. This allows ECH to accept youth with a wide spectrum of mental health and behavioral concerns. Residential treatment attempts to stabilize presenting problems, improve overall functioning, and transition youth at discharge to a permanent family setting. Comprehensive services available in each level of treatment include psychiatric and psychological care; physical health care; individual, family and group therapy provided by licensed professionals; case management; crisis intervention; medication management; special education services; and recreation and expressive therapies. Safe and intensive units (SI) serve children ages 6 through 17. Children placed in safe intensive units have often suffered physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse and neglect and have highly acute needs. They frequently display aggressive, self-harm or runaway behaviors. Aftercare services are for children ready to return home after completing ECH's safe and intensive residential program. For six months, ECH helps to ensure the transition will be successful and permanent by providing safety planning, medication management assistance, parent education & coaching, behavioral management, case management, and respite care.
- $3.7 million spent. See Schelule O Steppingstone Transitional Living Services: Steppingstone provides shelter and support for at-risk, runaway and homeless youth ages 16-21 in an array of safe and supervised living environments. Steppingstone services are offered in both ECH's St. Louis and Kansas City regions. Based on capabilities identified at initial assessment, the youth is placed in an apprpriate level of care and supervision that can include group living, structured apartment, or scattered site/community apartment. Steppingstone provides services to help youth develop self-sufficiency, including educational and employment assistance, life skills training, individual case managment, and physical and mental health treatment. Steppingstone services are based on the positive youth development philosophy with an overall goal of assisting youth to plan for a stable, safe living environment and self-sufficiency after exiting the program.
- $5.3 million spent. Community-Based Services: Community-Based Services includes three programs - Outpatient Psychiatry, Family Solutions for Kids and Foster Care Case Management - that provide a wide range of office and community-based services to children, youth and their families. Outpatient Psychiatry Services are available to children and youth under the age of 20 residing in the St. Louis and Franklin counties of Missouri. Services include psychiatric evaluation, therapeutic stabilization, medication managment and individual and family therapy. Family Solutions for Kids services is a collaborative program with an allied agency that provides intensive in-home therapy and case management services to children and youth between the ages of 4 to 20 residing in the St. Louis and Franklin counties of Missouri. Services are provided by a licensed or provisionally licensed therapist at an average of 5 hours per week for up to 16 weeks. Primary focus is placed on stabilizing presenting problems and strengthening coping strategies and supports to sustain therapeutic gains upon discharge. Foster Care Case Management services works with biological families according to the Adoption and Safe Families Act to assist with reunification and permanency for children in residential care or out-of-home placement. The program utilizes a "wrap-around" philosophy and builds upon current strengths by linking the family with natural supports, such as extended family, neighbors, and community resources. Foster Care Case Management services are provided in the Missouri counties of St. Louis, Jefferson, Franklin, Cole, Butler, Ripley, Stoddard, and Dunklin.
- $486,394 spent. ECH offers a range of educational services from an early education center to the Carrie Elligson Gietner School.The Carrie Elligson Gietner School. operated by ECH as an affiliated 501(c)(3). provides an on-site alternative program for children who are not attending public school due to behavorial and/or learning challenges. The Program is designed to help elementary through high-school aged students achieve emotional well-being along with improved performance and behavorial functioning. The long-term goal for every student is reintegration to the most appropriate community-based school and ultimate achievement of high school graduation. Some students are in residential treatment at ECH while others are referred through partnerships with coordinating area public school districts.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, 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 September 2025.
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 September 1958.
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.
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.