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Higher Ground a Resource Center

Tax-deductible

Tucson, AZ501(c)(3)Since 2011Education EIN 27-3585869

On file with the IRShigherground.me101 W 44th St, 85713-5925 · Tucson, AZTax-exempt since Feb 2011Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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Our mission is to empower one life at a time to REACH, TRANSFORM and ELEVATE their community through love and building character.For us, Higher Ground is more than just a place, but rather, it's a culture-infusing catalyst that aims to create system-wide change, building up our high-need communities - one child and family at a time - and creating collaborative networks of support that ultimately uplift our entire city. Our vision is to inspire youth and families to be part of lasting community contribution. We want to create the momentum for lasting sustainable change in the way we develop our children and youth to redefine success as community contribution, where schools and youth organizations become places where an individual transformation leads to stronger collective impact in their own communities

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $24K a year · 5% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Named funders
4
named funders · $44K
Looks good: 4 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$364K
88% of total assets
Concern: liabilities are 88% of assets; over 80%.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
10
of 10 voting members
Looks good: 10 of 10 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$0
Spent
$0
Net assets
$48K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$0
FY2025
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$536K
FY2021$747K
FY2022$1.7M
FY2023$0
FY2024$0
FY2025$0
Expenses
$0
FY2025
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$844K
FY2021$778K
FY2022$1.2M
FY2023$0
FY2024$0
FY2025$0
Net assets
$48K
FY20250%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020−$419K
FY2021−$447K
FY2022$48K
FY2023$48K
FY2024$48K
FY2025$48K

From the FY2025 Form 990 (year ending June 2025) · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 2011.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Who runs it and what they're paid

12 people listed on the 990.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
Ramon Valadez
Board Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Ken Heeter
Board Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Barry Richardson
Board Secretary (ended 12/
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Alexys Rodgers
Board Secretary (current)
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Randi Dorman
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Bill Spurbeck
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Michael Anderson
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Michael Guymon
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Jansen Azarias’s $63K as CEO is at the 92nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 146 <$100K education nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2022FY2021FY2020
Jansen Azarias$63,442$62,574$60,192
Arthur Rodgers JR——$46,613

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

See Higher Ground a Resource Center executive salaries →

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

Empowers youth and families through school-based programs and innovative technology.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

The Restart S.M.A.R.T. strategy, a local implementation of the community school model by Higher Ground, effectively organizes school and public resources to address specific community needs. By integrating trained staff within the school community, we provide a crucial link between community services and families facing opportunity gaps.

Pt IX · col B

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
Community Foundation for Southern ArizonaFY2024$21K
Jack in the Box FoundationFY2024$15K
American Online Giving Foundation INCFY2024$8K
Ginny L Clements Charitable TrustFY2024$100
Total grants receivedfrom 4 funders$44K
See all 4 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

Download 990
from philanthropy.org
1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$0
Ln 12
Money outPt IX
$0
Ln 25
Owns and owesPt X
$48K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$359K
Total assetsLn 16$412K
LiabilitiesLn 26$364K
PeoplePt VI, VII
12
listed · VII A
PaidVII A0
Voting boardVI 1a10
IndependentVI 1b10
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Total revenueLn 12$0
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$359K
SavingsLn 2$5
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$359K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$4K
Other assetsLn 15$3K
Total assetsLn 16$412K
LiabilitiesLn 26$364K
Net assetsLn 32$48K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 50
VolunteersI 60
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$359K$359K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$4K$4K
Total assetsLn 16$412K$412K
LiabilitiesLn 26$364K$364K
Net assetsLn 32$48K$48K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Total functional expensesLn 25$0$0$0$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $0$0$0$48K 990 PDF
FY2024 $0$0$0$48K 990 PDF
FY2023 $0$0$0$48K 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.7M$1.2M$483K$48K 990 PDF
FY2021 $747K$778K−$31K−$447K 990 PDF
FY2020 $536K$844K−$309K−$419K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $0 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $0$0
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $0$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $0$0
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $0$0
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $0$0
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $0$0
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $0$0
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $0$0
Part VI · Governance 10 of 10 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body10
VI-1b Independent voting members10
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $0 across 1 lines filed
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$0
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $0 across 0 lines filed
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
Part X · Balance sheet $411,761 assets, 14 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $359,257$359,257
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $5$5
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $44,119$44,119
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $1,398$1,398
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $3,982$3,982
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $3,000$3,000
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $411,761$411,761
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $136,965$136,965
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $227,102$227,102
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $364,067$364,067
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $12,033$12,033
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $35,661$35,661
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $47,694$47,694
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $411,761$411,761
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $47,694 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$0
XI-2 Total expenses$0
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$0
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$47,694
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$47,694

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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