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Penny Lane Centers

EIN 95-2633765 · N Hollywood, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood76 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Penny Lane Centers ("Penny Lane") is a public non-profit organization established in 1969 and has been serving the community since. Its mission is to foster hopes and dreams and transforming lives by empowering children, youth, and families to reach their highest potential. Penny Lane provides, foster family home placement for boys and girls of all ages, a variety of community based services as well as services for those in our transitional housing and permanent housing programs. Penny Lane also offers a variety of outpatient mental health services in its 4 primary locations in Los Angeles County.

Income
$66.7 million
Spending
$65.1 million
Spent on programs
96%
Reserves
3.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 94%
Employees
572
Volunteers
129
Highest pay
$447,315, 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: 76 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 3.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 28% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.

  • Income trend

    10 of 15

    Income fell 5% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    96% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 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: 100 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    12 of 12 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

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited 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 (4)
  1. $35.5 million spent. Mental Health - to provide mental health services to children with behavioral problems. A unique program that includes mental health services provided to clients in schools, foster homes, probation camps, group homes as well as the community. During the year covered, 152,227 units of service were provided. Intensive Services - provides services to children in danger of placement into Foster Care. A unique service for families who have children with severe emotional and behavioral problems. Wraparound focuses on building child and family strengths, fostering self-sufficiency, and promoting stability and permanency. During the year covered, 210,459 units of service were provided.
  2. $4.9 million spent. Foster Care - provides 24-hour care and adoptive services. Penny Lane works to ensure permanency for children by matching them with certified adoptive families and facilitating the adoption process. During the covered year, 202 clients were served.
  3. $6.2 million spent. In Home Services (PFF, RHAS, RSS): Penny Lane Centers provide a comprehensive range of prevention, support, intervention, transitional and maintenance services for families in the communities of Los Angeles County.
  4. $16.1 million spent. The Family Preservation Program: Goal is to keep the family united by providing In-Home Outreach Counseling services that will assist, support, inform and educate the family and is a collaborative effort between the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Probation and Penny Lane Centers. During the year covered, 269 families were served.Substance Use Disorder Residential & Outpatient funded by SAPSE - Penny Lane Centers is dedicated to working with adolescents, adults and families struggling with alcohol and other drug use. Our goal is to assist individuals along their journey in recovery. We believe in working on the core issues of substance and alcohol use by utilizing proven evidenced based practices that promote and sustain clean and sober living.Unarmed Model Crisis Response: Provide mobile crisis response services to as-needed requests from 911 operators regarding non-violent situations that occur in the City of Los Angeles that have a social services impact and would benefit from personnel trained in conflict resolution, de-escalating techniques, and other non-violent approaches.

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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since November 1966.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 October 7, 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.