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Nami Santa Cruz County

EIN 77-0002878 · Watsonville, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood70 out of 100GovernanceStrong91 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

EDUCATION, SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY FOR MENTAL HEALTH.

Income
$926,645
Spending
$1.1 million
Spent on programs
71%
Reserves
12.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 68%
Employees
38
Volunteers
40
Highest pay
$98,000, executive dir.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 70 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (health care, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 12.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 15% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 17% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 40% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    71% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 34 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 72% of charities in its peer group (health care, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    7 of 7 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 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 (5)
  1. $213,921 spent. Peer Support:Provide education and support groups in English and Spanish to 484 adults living with mental health conditions. Delivered mental health recovery information to 273 individuals residing in step down facilities and facilitated Peer Meet Up events which create social connection and community for peers. All programs receive high satisfaction levels in excess of 90%. Additionally, we provided peer specialist to the Santa Cruz County mental health acute facility on a seven- day basis to facilitate daily support groups and individual coaching.
  2. $175,433 spent. Community Wide Programs:Provide help desk support to 265 English and Spanish callers seeking information, support, and navigation related to mental health issues in their personal lives or their families. Deploy mobile support teams across the county reaching 4262 adults and 3649 youth to locations where they are.Mental Health Education/ Compassion training was delivered to Central Fire. Community Presentations were given to 293 individuals and quarterly Speaker Meetings delivered treatment and best practice information through zoom with all meetings recorded and available for replay on our web site. Our weekly eNews online publication reached 2537 individuals with notifications of events and information from many non-profit and providers related to wellness and health. Our new south county office was staffed half days to provide drop in access for one- on- one support in a location convenient to the Spanish community.
  3. $170,028 spent. Youth and Family Support:Provide education, support groups and information in English and Spanish directly to 67 families and adults with youth experiencing mental health conditions. Our Ending the Silence program provided information on mental health into the schools reaching 818 students and teachers and 72 English and Spanish families. All programs receive high satisfaction levels in excess of 90%.
  4. $149,622 spent. Adult Support:Provide education, support groups and information in both English and Spanish directly to 357 families and adults with loved ones with mental health disorders. Classes and support groups are delivered by individuals with lived experiences with class and support group levels of high satisfaction in excess of 90%.
  5. $58,648 spent. Advocacy and Partnership:Participate in county wide activities advocating for expanded services, participating in solution creation and delivery, partnering with other non-profits and treatment teams in join activities. Sharing best practices and strategies as an input to potential advancements in a broad range of mental health support including reducing the incidence of individuals with mental health being impacted by the justice system. Overall goals include stigma reduction, prevention, early intervention and expanded treatment options from acute to step down to outpatient and residential solutions.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since May 1984.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.

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.