Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
PAJARO VALLEY PREVENTION AND STUDENT ASSISTANCE INC'S MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES OF THE PAJARO VALLEY BY PROVIDING HEALTH EDUCATION, COUNSELING AND PREVENTION SERVICES, AND BY ADVOCATING FOR PUBLIC POLICIES THAT PROTECT THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY.
- Income
- $6.0 million
- Spending
- $6.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 90%
- Reserves
- 3.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 69%
- Employees
- 91
- Volunteers
- 7
- Highest pay
- $186,312, ceo
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: 72 out of 100.
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.7 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 30% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 0% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 7% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1590% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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
Good: 85 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 12 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
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 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 (1)
- $5.4 million spent. Pajaro Valley Prevention & Student Assistance (PVPSA) is a non-profit serving youth and families in the Pajaro Valley. The demographic area of service includes The City of Watsonville, North Monterey County, and Santa Cruz County. PVPSA continues providing school-based support which includes students in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) and Santa Cruz City Schools (SCCS). During fiscal year 2024-2025, our behavioral health team provided direct services either via behavioral health, substance use disorder services, or case management support to 1,151 unduplicated students providing over 19,520 contacts. Other school-based prevention services include cannabis and tobacco/vaping use education presentations in which 2,320 students participated in these presentations. In addition to providing school-based and individual direct services, PVPSA provides family-centered activities and community education through family engagement activities and psycho education presentations. During this fiscal year, we had 443 participants that engaged in at least one family-centered activity or educational workshop. PVPSA also supports families who have food insecurities to obtain access to nourishment by offering monthly food distributions. During this reporting year, there were 22 food distributions in Santa Cruz County, providing a total of 2640 families receiving food and 13 food distributions in Monterey County, providing a total of 1300 families receiving food. In total, across all programs, PVPSA served 1,594 individuals and made a total of 29,434 contacts.Although we hold many local, county, and governmental partnerships. Our biggest partnerships include Santa Cruz and Monterey County Behavioral Health Departments, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, the City of Watsonville and the County Office of Education.
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
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 June 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 May 1996.
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.