Empowering Epilepsy is a nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity organization dedicated to creating a proactive, seizure controlling/preventative respite center and community for people with epilepsy, their families and caregivers in Northeast Ohio. Our goal is to provide free or low cost programs, services and support that enable people with epilepsy to focus on their mind, body, and spirit and take charge of their lives.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
86¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 25 volunteers.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2024 · 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
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 4
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $103K a year · 30% of revenue · last 4 filings
Fine: a surplus in 3 of the last 4 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 4 filings
Spent on programs
86%
of spending
Looks good: 86% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$73K
to officers and key staff · 23% of spending
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 23% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
<1 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $313K in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Fine: 0.7 months of spending in cash, plus $313K in investments.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
10
named funders · $49K
Looks good: 10 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$13K
3% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 3% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
23
of 23 voting members
Looks good: 23 of 23 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$269K
-12% vs prior year
Spent
$319K
To programs
86%
Net assets
$359K
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$269K
FY2024▼ -12%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$94K
FY2021$349K
FY2022$439K
FY2023$305K
FY2024$269K
Expenses
$319K
FY2024▲ +10%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020Not on file
FY2021$97K
FY2022$246K
FY2023$289K
FY2024$319K
Net assets
$359K
FY2024▼ -31%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$57K
FY2021$310K
FY2022$503K
FY2023$519K
FY2024$359K

From the FY2024 Form 990 · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Apr 2015.

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

Where the money goes

86 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 86% · $275K Management & general 8% · $24K Fundraising 6% · $20K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

Something off? Claim to add context

Who runs it and what they're paid

23 people listed on the 990; $73K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Dir.
$72,685Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Leigh Goldie’s $73K as Executive Dir. is at the 55th percentile of top reported officer pay among 901 $100K–1M diseases & disorders 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

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Leigh Goldie$72,685$63,000$60,000$35,585$2,250
William Chapnick—$30,000$32,500——

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 Empowering Epilepsy executive salaries →

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 seizure control programs, respite, and community support for people with epilepsy.

Questions for Empowering Epilepsy

Tap to ask. Empowering Epilepsy sees how many people are interested.

Your first name shows with your question. Empowering Epilepsy answers here, for everyone.

1 program · $275K · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

Founded in 2014, our goal is to advance health equity and quality of life for people with epilepsy through integrated services, peer support, education, and systematic innovation in epilepsy care, grounded in research and lived experience.

$275Kprogram expense

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
See all 10 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$269K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$265K
Investment incomeLn 3$16K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$912
Money outPt IX
$319K
Ln 25
Programscol B$275K
Managementcol C$24K
Fundraisingcol D$20K
Owns and owesPt X
$359K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$19K
Total assetsLn 16$372K
LiabilitiesLn 26$13K
PeoplePt VI, VII
23
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a23
IndependentVI 1b23
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$265K
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$2K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$912
Investment incomeLn 3$16K
Gains on assetsLn 7$3K
Total revenueLn 12$269K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$16K
SavingsLn 2$3K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$19K
Pledges and grants receivableLn 3$11K
Accounts receivableLn 4$32
Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesLn 9$3K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$16K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$313K
Other assetsLn 15$11K
Total assetsLn 16$372K
LiabilitiesLn 26$13K
Net assetsLn 32$359K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 50
VolunteersI 625
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY24End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$168K$19K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$315K$313K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$23K$16K
Total assetsLn 16$526K$372K
LiabilitiesLn 26$134K$13K
Net assetsLn 32$393K$359K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
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$73K$62K$7K$4K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$57K$48K$6K$3K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$0
Payroll taxesLn 10$10K$8K$990$495
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$4K$3K$1K
Accounting feesLn 11c$6K$4K$2K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$21K$21K$171$85
Advertising and promotionLn 12$10K$6K$61$4K
Office expensesLn 13$15K$10K$1K$3K
Information technologyLn 14$5K$3K$410$1K
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$27K$22K$4K$2K
TravelLn 17$8K$8K
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$7K$6K$118$54
InterestLn 20$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$7K$6K$904$417
InsuranceLn 23$2K$1K$198$92
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$69K$66K$522$3K
All other expensesLn 24e$0
Total functional expensesLn 25$319K$275K$24K$20K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Oct 28, 2025 $269K$319K−$51K$359K 990 PDF
FY2023Filed with the IRS May 15, 2024 $305K$289K$16K$519K 990 PDF
FY2022Filed with the IRS Nov 14, 2023 $439K$246K$193K$503K 990 PDF
FY2021Filed with the IRS Oct 14, 2022 $349K$97K$252K$310K 990 PDF
FY2020Filed with the IRS Aug 20, 2021 $94K$57K 990 PDF

Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $268,660 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $102,208$264,532
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $22,777$912
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $52,185$15,550
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $1,480−$12,334
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $178,650$268,660
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $147,522$139,340
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $141,695$179,997
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $289,217$319,337
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$110,567−$50,677
Part VI · Governance 23 of 23 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body23
VI-1b Independent voting members23
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $268,660 across 11 lines filed
VIII-1c Fundraising events$2,378
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$262,154
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$264,532
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $912$912
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $12,611$12,611
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax $2,939$2,939
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events−$13,209
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $875$875
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $1,787 · Excluded from tax $15,550$268,660
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $319,337 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individuals$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $61,782 · Management $7,269 · Fundraising $3,634$72,685
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $48,240 · Management $5,675 · Fundraising $2,838$56,753
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefits$0
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $8,417 · Management $990 · Fundraising $495$9,902
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $2,594 · Management $1,111$3,705
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $4,410 · Management $1,890$6,300
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $20,772 · Management $171 · Fundraising $85$21,028
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $5,743 · Management $61 · Fundraising $4,152$9,956
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $10,495 · Management $1,410 · Fundraising $2,612$14,517
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $3,315 · Management $410 · Fundraising $1,409$5,134
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $22,185 · Management $3,659 · Fundraising $1,577$27,421
IX-17 TravelPrograms $7,513$7,513
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $6,475 · Management $118 · Fundraising $54$6,647
IX-20 Interest$0
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $5,636 · Management $904 · Fundraising $417$6,957
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $1,235 · Management $198 · Fundraising $92$1,525
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $66,256 · Management $522 · Fundraising $2,516$69,294
IX-24e All other expenses$0
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $275,068 · Management $24,388 · Fundraising $19,881$319,337
Part X · Balance sheet $371,868 assets, 21 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $22,215$15,642
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $146,085$3,247
X-3 Pledges and grants receivable$10,522
X-4 Accounts receivable$32
X-5 Loans to officers and key people$0
X-6 Loans to other insiders$0
X-7 Notes and loans receivable$0
X-8 Inventories for sale or use$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $5,191$3,251
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $22,976$16,019
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $315,113$312,639
X-12 Other securities$0
X-13 Program-related investments$0
X-14 Intangible assets$0
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $14,812$10,516
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $526,392$371,868
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $7,696$12,719
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $133,838$12,719
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $236,701$359,149
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $392,554$359,149
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $526,392$371,868
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $359,149 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$268,660
XI-2 Total expenses$319,337
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$50,677
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$392,554
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$17,272
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$359,149

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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