The Courageous Parents Network Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE MISSION OF COURAGEOUS PARENTS NETWORK IS TO SUPPORT PARENTS AND FAMILIES OF CHILDREN LIVING WITH LIFELIMITING ILLNESS WITH THE TOOLS THEY NEED AS THEY ADJUST TO THE PROGNOSIS AND THEN WHEN THEY CONTEMPLATE THEIR CHILDS TRANSITION TO ENDOFLIFE.
- Income
- $1.3 million
- Spending
- $1.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 84%
- Reserves
- 18.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 5
- Highest pay
- $141,667, executive di
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (health care, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 18.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 24% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 21% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1584% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 11% of charities in its peer group (health care, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give 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, 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 (1)
- $847,730 spent. COLLABORATIONS IN THOUGHT LEADERSHIP COURAGEOUS PARENTS NETWORK IS RECOGNIZED BY CLINICIANS, PATIENT GROUPS AND INDUSTRY AS A TRUSTED AUTHORITY AND THOUGHT-LEADER PARTNER REPRESENTING THE LIVED EXPERIENCE AND NEEDS OF FAMILIES CARING FOR A CHILD WITH A SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITION. CPN VALUES THESE RELATIONSHIPS FOR THREE REASONS: THEY EXTEND THE REACH OF CPN RESOURCES; THEY INCREASE CPN'S EXPOSURE TO ADJACENT GROUPS SERVING FAMILIES AND THEREBY GROW OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO FAMILIES; AND THEY ENHANCE OUR SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW BEST TO SUPPORT AFFECTED FAMILIES. 2025 COLLABORATIONS INCLUDE: STANFORD CENTER FOR CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION (SCCME) COURAGEOUS PARENTS NETWORK DELIVERS MONTHLY WEBINARS ON PSYCHOSOCIAL TOPICS AFFECTING PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL COMPLEXITY (SEE THE IN THE ROOM ARTICLE). WHILE DESIGNED FOR A PARENT AUDIENCE, PEDIATRIC HEALTHCARE CLINICIANS FREQUENTLY ATTEND. THEY REPORT BENEFITS OF LEARNING FROM CPN ABOUT THE FAMILY LIVED EXPERIENCE AND THEY VALUE HEARING DIRECTLY FROM PARENTS. IN SEPTEMBER 2025 CPN BEGAN TO OFFER CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT TO APPROVED PROFESSIONS. CONTINUING EDUCATION IS MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE STANFORD CENTER FOR CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION (SCCME). THANKS TO SUPPORT FROM THE STANFORD MEDICINE DIVISION OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE, THESE CREDITS ARE BEING OFFERED AT NO COST THROUGH JUNE 2026CT1.1. TRISOMY 13 AND 18 COLLABORATIVE TRISOMY 13 AND 18 ARE MEDICALLY UNDERSTOOD AS LIFE-LIMITING GENETIC CONDITIONS. BABIES USUALLY DIE BEFORE THEIR FIRST BIRTHDAY BUT SOME CHILDREN LIVE MUCH LONGER, AND A GROWING NUMBER OF FAMILIES AND CLINICIANS ARE WORKING TO IMPROVE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO FAMILIES TO INFORM DECISION-MAKING. IN 2025, THE TRISOMY 13 AND 18 COLLABORATIVE ANNOUNCED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR PROJECTS DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY AND EVALUATE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THESE DIAGNOSES, AND TO ASSESS INFORMATIONAL NEEDS AND ACCESS BARRIERS. UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CHRISSY SALLEY, PHD, COURAGEOUS PARENTS NETWORK SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL IN COLLABORATION WITH STANFORD MEDICINE, THE GENETIC SUPPORT FOUNDATION, AND COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, AND WAS AWARDED THE GRANT. INVESTIGATION AND DATA COLLECTION IS UNDERWAY AND FINDINGS, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS, SHOULD BE AVAILABLE BY 2027. PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES COURAGEOUS PROVIDER AWARD THE COURAGEOUS PROVIDER AWARD ANNUALLY RECOGNIZES CLINICIANS PROVIDING EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY-CENTERED CARE IN CIRCUMSTANCES OF SERIOUS CHILDHOOD ILLNESS. NOMINEES MUST DEMONSTRATE EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGING WITH PATIENTS, PARENTS OR OTHER CAREGIVERS, AND/OR OTHER PEDIATRIC SPECIALISTS IN A HOLISTIC, MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO CARE. THEY MUST DEMONSTRATE QUALITIES OF COMPASSION, TENACITY AND EMPATHY IN JOURNEYING WITH CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE 2025 COURAGEOUS PROVIDER AWARD RECIPIENT WAS CAMARA VAN BREEMAN, MN, NP, CANUCK PLACE CHILDREN'S HOSPICE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. CPN'S BLYTH LORD HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT AND TOUR CANUCK PLACE AND RECOGNIZE CAMARA WITH THE AWARD IN PERSON. EXPANDING ACCESS: NEUROJOURNEY NOW AVAILABLE IN ARABIC COURAGEOUS PARENTS NETWORK WAS PROUD TO MAKE NEUROJOURNEY AVAILABLE IN ARABIC, EXPANDING ACCESS TO TRUSTED INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES AND THE PROFESSIONALS WHO SERVE THEM. ARABIC IS THE SIXTH-MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE IN THE UNITED STATES, THE FIFTH-MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE WORLDWIDE, AND THE FOURTH=MOST USED LANGUAGE ON THE INTERNET. BY OFFERING THIS RESOURCE IN ARABIC, CPN ENABLES CLINICIANS AND PATIENT ORGANIZATIONS TO BETTER EDUCATE FAMILIES AND STRENGTHEN HEALTH LITERACY ACROSS THE COMMUNITIES THEY SUPPORT. THIS IMPORTANT WORK WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH GENEROUS FUNDING FROM ALEXION CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. EXTENSION OF THE PARENT CHAMPION PROGRAM IN 2023, THE CPN TEAM LAUNCHED THE PARENT CHAMPIONS PROGRAM TO AMPLIFY THE ORGANIZATION'S REACH AND ENSURE THAT PALLIATIVE-INFORMED FAMILY PERSPECTIVES ARE INTEGRATED INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE AND PATIENT ADVOCACY NATIONWIDE. WHAT BEGAN AS A STRATEGIC INVESTMENT IN FAMILY LEADERSHIP HAS QUICKLY BECOME A POWERFUL FORCE FOR EDUCATION, AWARENESS, AND SYSTEMS CHANGE. IN APRIL 2025, THE SECOND COHORT OF FIVE PARENT CHAMPIONS-JOINED BY TWO LEGACY CHAMPIONS FROM THE INAUGURAL COHORT-COMPLETED AN INTENSIVE THREE-DAY TRAINING IN BOSTON, EQUIPPING THEM TO SPEAK CONFIDENTLY ABOUT CPN'S RESOURCES AND THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY-CENTERED PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE. IN 2025, PARENT CHAMPIONS GENERATED NATIONAL VISIBILITY THROUGH ARTICLES, BLOG POSTS AND PODCASTS. COLLECTIVELY, THEY DELIVERED 22 PRESENTATIONS- VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON-TO CLINICIANS AND FAMILIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND EXPANDING AWARENESS OF CPN'S PROGRAMMING. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, CPN AND THE CHAMPIONS ELEVATE THE FAMILY VOICE AS AN ESSENTIAL PARTNER IN CARE. BY TRANSFORMING LIVED EXPERIENCE INTO LEADERSHIP, THE PROGRAM STRENGTHENS COMMUNITY, INFORMS CLINICAL PRACTICE, AND ADVANCES EQUITABLE ACCESS TO PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE SUPPORT NATIONWIDE. THANK YOU TO THE ILENE BEAL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION FOR FUNDING THIS VITAL PROGRAM. IN THE ROOM LIVE-STREAMED EVENTS IN 2025, CPN HOSTED TEN LIVE-STREAMED IN THE ROOM EVENTS AND TWO BOOK TALKS. THE IN THE ROOM EVENTS EXPLORE PRESSING ISSUES FACED BY PARENTS AND THE CLINICIANS WHO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES. MORE THAN 2,300 PARTICIPANTS HAVE REGISTERED FOR THESE PROGRAMS. THE FIVE MOST POPULAR SESSIONS IN 2025 WERE: "THE SPIRITUAL LIVES OF CHILDREN: EXPLORING THE WAY CHILDREN CONNECT IN THEIR WORLD "BUILDING MEMORIES AND LIVING YOUR CHILD'S LEGACY TOGETHER "PARENT INSIGHTS INTO MEDICAL DECISION-MAKING "SIBLINGS SHARING THEIR JOURNEY WITH MEDICAL COMPLEXITY "BEING MY CHILD'S PROTECTOR, ADVOCATE AND DECISION-MAKER IN THE NICU AS NOTED, CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THESE PROGRAMS ARE BEING OFFERED TO CLINICIANS THROUGH A COLLABORATION WITH THE STANFORD CENTER FOR CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION. CONNECTING WITH FAMILIES AND CLINICIANS THANKS TO THE GENEROSI
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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 December 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 August 2013.
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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