Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Dec 1972.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
86 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
33 people listed on the 990; $1.8M paid to officers and key staff.
Victor Dickson’s $384K as President & CEO is at the 86th percentile of top reported officer pay among 247 $10–100M crime & legal 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 · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Dickson | $384,360 | $430,570 | $313,574 | $422,612 | $412,612 | $422,612 |
| Mark Yates | $343,744 | $271,198 | $204,947 | $165,299 | $156,233 | $155,646 |
| Sodiqa Williams | $237,987 | $216,940 | $207,516 | $171,103 | $161,838 | $162,645 |
| Joseph Urban | — | $188,805 | $211,010 | $204,815 | $205,196 | $207,131 |
| Jerry Butler | — | — | $209,433 | — | — | $110,295 |
| Harry Alston | $200,936 | $172,139 | $180,750 | $157,298 | $149,048 | $149,789 |
| Chris Rooney | $192,191 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Henrietta Mason | $170,248 | $137,938 | $160,612 | $157,694 | $157,395 | $156,793 |
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.
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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 15aYes
Programs and updates
Provides employment preparation, job placement, and educational programs to help individuals with criminal records secure stable jobs and achieve self-sufficiency.
Questions for Safer Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Safer Foundation answers here, for everyone.
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Employment Services in Illinois and Iowa
programs are designed to prepare people with criminal backgrounds for job opportunities by providing job preparedness, job referral and placement and retention services. Clients participating in the job-readiness program receive training in workplace etiquette, how to complete job applications, develop a resume and prepare for job…
Adult Transition/Residential Programs
Safer foundation is the only nonprofit private agency that operates secured residential centers on behalf of the illinois department of corrections. At the two safer adult transition facilities, incarcerated individuals can serve the final 30 days to 24 months of their state prison sentences in a community-based, work release setting.
Basic Skills/Education in Illinois and Iowa
Services are provided to participants to improve basic education such as reading, writing and math. Upgrading these skills leads to improved job opportunities. More than 1,200 clients participate in safer's education programs which provide an active and inclusive environment where students are peer teachers and help each other develop…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $4.0M | $5.3M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $0 | $0 |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $4.2M | $4.3M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $16.0M | $17.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $11.7M | $13.1M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $0 | |||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $0 | |||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $0 | |||
| Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4 | $0 | |||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $1.5M | $1.3M | $192K | $36K |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $0 | |||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $15.4M | $13.2M | $1.8M | $368K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $440K | $60K | $324K | $56K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $2.2M | $2.1M | $84K | $3K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $1.3M | $1.1M | $131K | $30K |
| Management feesLn 11a | $0 | |||
| Legal feesLn 11b | $24K | $24K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $206K | $206K | ||
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $0 | |||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $0 | |||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $0 | |||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $2.6M | $1.9M | $594K | $71K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $0 | |||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $760K | $562K | $174K | $24K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $439K | $439K | ||
| RoyaltiesLn 15 | $0 | |||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $2.9M | $2.8M | $74K | $17K |
| TravelLn 17 | $322K | $310K | $10K | $2K |
| Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18 | $0 | |||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $267K | $267K | ||
| InterestLn 20 | $0 | |||
| Payments to affiliatesLn 21 | $0 | |||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $658K | $616K | $36K | $5K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $249K | $225K | $20K | $4K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $2.6M | $2.4M | $199K | $3K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $31.9M | $27.3M | $3.9M | $619K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $33.4M | $36.1M | −$2.7M | $1.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $32.5M | $33.8M | −$1.4M | −$854K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $39.2M | $36.3M | $2.8M | $3.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $35.6M | $36.5M | −$870K | $933K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $27.7M | $30.3M | −$2.6M | $1.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 Viewing | $31.7M | $31.9M | −$183K | $4.1M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $31,677,266 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 22 of 22 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $31,677,266 across 13 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $31,860,163 across 30 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $17,229,838 assets, 24 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $4,084,215 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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