Pulaski County Friends of Casa Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Pulaski County Friends of CASA, Inc. develops and supports a court-sanctioned community-based program that provides trained and supervised volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in juvenile court dependency proceedings.
- Income
- $185,175
- Spending
- $195,691
- Spent on programs
- 73%
- Reserves
- 3.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 72%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 108
- Highest pay
- $61,407, executive dir.
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
Fair: 64 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, under $250k).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.3 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 34% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 6% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 37% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1573% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 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: 82 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, under $250k).
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 15 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
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
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)
- $142,065 spent. For the year ended December 31, 2024, this task was accomplished through the following programs: (i) Volunteer Training is a curriculum developed by the National CASA Association level to prepare volunteer trainees from all education and experience levels to advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children. The curriculum consists of 30 hours of in-class instruction, court observation, and family team meetings or staffing observations. The curriculum teaches everything from education advocacy and family strengths to cultural competencies and working with older youth. Volunteers are required to attend no less than 12 hours of In-Service Training each year after their first year of service. Topics vary and are selected by needs assessed by CASA program staff but must include diversity training. Each aspect of the training curriculum ensures a volunteer is equipped to manage their investigation and report preparation after being sworn in as an advocate. CASA Advocates are also offered additional training through a yearly retreat and attending the Arkansas State CASA Conference that is held each fall.(ii) Education advocacy is an intricate part of the Pulaski County CASA framework to ensure the specialized needs of children in foster care are properly addressed. Advocates are trained to identify and address impediments to education such as learning disabilities, misdiagnosis, and other special needs. Advocates are trained in the Federal and State Laws impacting childrens educational needs and services. Advocates participate in educational meetings such as Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and court hearings advocating for the needs necessary to produce the best outcomes for children. Advocates are encouraged to attend specialized training in other areas of child development such as ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), trauma-informed approaches to case management, child-parent psychotherapy, and other related topics.(iii) Fostering Futures is a curriculum developed by the National CASA Association and designed to give volunteers a solid base of knowledge and skills to advocate on behalf of youths between the ages of 12 and 18. The training provides an in-depth exploration of topics such as relationship building with older youths, the possible selves concept, and working with youths as partners in transition and independent living planning. This type of training has been and continues to be effective in supporting youths that emancipate from foster care. (iv) The Court Improvement Team consists of Pulaski County Friends of CASA, Inc. staff, DCFS, attorneys, and other related parties and is led by one of our judges to address issues that affect the operation of the courts in dependency-related cases. Team members make recommendations for improvement, and address various scenarios and other topics that will help to improve the outcomes for children and families that are navigating the foster care system.(v) The Safe Babies Court Team is a specialty court in the 10th Division working with dependency-neglect cases with at least one child under 3 years old. It consists of DCFS, CASA, Attorney ad litems, Parent Counsel, and the SBCT Community Coordinator as well as professionals across the area working a team-based approach to safety and permanency. A higher percentage of these children either return home or achieve permanency in a relative placement.
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 January 2002.
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.