High Sky Childrens Ranch
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
HIGH SKY CHILDREN'S RANCH IS DEDICATED TO HEALING ABUSED CHILDREN AND PROMOTING FAMILY WHOLENESS.
- Income
- $6.6 million
- Spending
- $7.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- 7.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 49%
- Employees
- 86
- Volunteers
- 250
- Highest pay
- $102,834, executive direc
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: 82 out of 100. Higher than 72% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 7.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 12% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 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 69% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2530 of 30 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 (6)
- $1.9 million spent. Stay Together - The Stay Together Program offers comprehensive support and prevention services to families and youth within its 33-county service area, with a focus on empowering them through parenting and life/coping skills. The program caters to families with children aged 0-17 years (or older, if they are still attending high school), aiming to foster positive, healthy relationships. Through specialized curriculums, in-home visits, workshops, and a 24-hour crisis intervention hotline, the Stay Together Program provides preventive services at no cost to clients. Its goal is to equip families with the necessary tools for conflict resolution and family skills, enabling them to effectively navigate challenges.In 2024, the Stay Together program served a total of 795 youth clients, serving on average 190 youth monthly through approximately 493 in-home visits per month. The Stay Together program also provided 150 community workshops through our 33-county service area. 100% of families participating in the Stay Together program showed an increase in at least one protective factor. Protective Factors is a research-based framework which identifies five of the most important aspects proven to minimize child abuse and neglect within a familys home. 94% of families showed an increase in all five protective factors following program completion.
- $1.7 million spent. Foster Care and Adoption - High Skys Foster Care & Adoption program provides temporary foster care and permanency through adoption for children who have experienced trauma, abuse, or neglect. High Sky recruits, trains, and licenses families who are willing to open their hearts and homes to children in need. High Sky staff work closely with foster, adoptive, and kinship families to provide on-going training, resources, and continuous support.High Skys Foster Care & Adoption program focused on providing high-quality services and creating a community of hope through foster care and adoption. In 2024, the program supported 27 active foster and adoptive homes, cared for 50 youth, finalized 14 adoptions, and provided 5,329 days of service to children in substitute care. 81% of the youth placed in High Skys foster and adoptive homes experienced successful discharges from their placements. A successful discharge refers to the process of youth transitioning out of the foster care system in a way that sets them up for long-term stability, permanency, and positive life outcomes through family reunification and adoption. This is considered the ideal outcome for a childs time in foster care.
- $1.5 million spent. High Sky Emergency Shelter and Teen Boys Home - The Boys Teen Home offers a supportive and nurturing long-term placement for boys aged 13-17. In this home, specially trained caregivers provide trauma-informed care and behavioral interventions to meet the individual needs of each youth. The Teen Home focuses on creating a home-like atmosphere that allows the youth to experience normal teenage activities, develop life skills, and pursue employment opportunities, all while receiving comprehensive medical, behavioral, and mental healthcare support from dedicated Case Managers. This program has allowed High Sky to provide much-needed support and care for teen boys who have been removed from their homes by CPS. The Teen Home fills a crucial gap in our area, where long-term placements for teen boys with specialized needs are scarce. By recognizing this need and taking action, High Sky is working to ensure that these young individuals have a stable and nurturing environment where they can thrive and heal.High Sky Childrens Ranch operates an Emergency Shelter to provide temporary placement for children in foster care while long-term options are secured. The shelter welcomes children of all ages, ensuring that sibling groups can stay together during this challenging time. Caregivers in the shelter are trained in trauma-informed services to provide nurturing care, stability, and security. Alongside meeting basic needs, the shelter encourages age-appropriate recreational activities, and each child is assigned a Case Manager who oversees their medical, behavioral, and mental healthcare needs, as well as collaborating with schools to support their educational goals and academic progress.Through both campus programs, High Sky Childrens Ranch remains dedicated to offering a safe and caring environment for children in foster care, supporting their emotional wellbeing, personal growth, and overall development. In 2024, the Teen Boys Home provided 1,284 days of service to 9 youth in care, while the Emergency Shelter provided 2,238 days of service to 54 youth in care.
- $562,313 spent. Partnering with Parents and Therapeutic - Our Partnering with Parents and therapeutic programs work with parents who have had their youth removed by CPS; however, reunification is still a viable option. Our program offers supervised and monitored visitations and provides counseling for both the parent, the child and the family unit in our state-of-the-art therapeutic center. In addition to providing parental skill development and education, our program offers bonding with parent and child through art therapy. This allows them to create keepsakes for each other during their separation while the court reviews their progress and makes a decision regarding reunification. PWP helped families navigate through one of the hardest challenges they will ever face - healing their own traumas, addictions, and behavioral challenges to reunify with their children. Many of these parents have their own previous history of trauma and with CPS, thus repeating the cycle of child abuse.
- $278,419 spent. LIFE Aftercare - Our Life AfterCare program works with youth in foster care ages 17-21, that are preparing to leave or have left foster care. We assist the youth with their transition to living independently out on their own. Our case Managers meet with the youth and discuss their individual goals. The Case Managers break down the necessary steps and highlight any potential obstacles and how to avoid them. We then meet regularly to monitor their progress and to set new goals. We have limited funding for each youth to bridge gaps in finances and to help assist them in achieving self-sufficiency. Our program works with youth in the Permian Basin in West Texas and the Concho Valley area and we have a 95% success rate in youth successfully entering the workforce and 91% of our youth are in stable housing as adults living on their own.
- $50,216 spent. Preparation for Adult Living: Life Skills Training - Our PAL classes are designed to teach life skills to youth ages 16 and up that are in foster care. We teach topics such as Money Management, Housing & Transportation, Health & Nutrition, Job Skills, Planning for the Future, and Personal & Interpersonal relationships. We use experiential field trips such as touring Universities and Apartment complexes to enhance the material covered by our expert speakers from the local community. This enables the youth to learn how to utilize resources in their specific community and make connections with individuals and agencies that will continue to benefit the youth.
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 November 6, 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 September 1964.
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 November 4, 2026.
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