Choosing Our Roots FY2021 filing

Tax-deductible

Anchorage, AK501(c)(3)Since 2017Civil Rights & AdvocacyEIN 82-3583339Revenue $514K in FY2021

On file with the IRSchoosingourroots.org3905 Carolina Dr Apt 54, 99517-2553 · Anchorage, AKTax-exempt since Apr 2018Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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The mission of Choosing Our Roots is to ensure that all queer Alaskan youth & young adults have access to safe home, supportive communities, and opportunities to thrive.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
87¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$800 paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2021 · 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
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $103K a year · 15% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
87%
of spending
Looks good: 87% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$800
to officers and key staff · 0.2% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 0% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
7 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 6.9 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $10K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$133K
47% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 47% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
13
of 13 voting members
Looks good: 13 of 13 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$514K
+156% vs prior year
Spent
$431K
To programs
87%
Net assets
$148K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$514K
FY2021▲ +156%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$201K
FY2021$514K
FY2022$1.3M
FY2023$810K
FY2024$587K
FY2025$598K
Expenses
$431K
FY2021▲ +139%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$181K
FY2021$431K
FY2022$612K
FY2023$919K
FY2024$596K
FY2025$622K
Net assets
$148K
FY2021▲ +130%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$64K
FY2021$148K
FY2022$800K
FY2023$692K
FY2024$684K
FY2025$639K

From the FY2021 Form 990 (year ending June 2021) · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Apr 2018.

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

Where the money goes

87 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 87% · $376K Management & general 12% · $51K Fundraising 1% · $5K

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

17 people listed on the 990; $800 paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2020); the FY2021 filing did not itemize Part VII
$200Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$200Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$150Pt VII · Sec A
Director / Secretary
$100Pt VII · Sec A
$100Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$50Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Laura Reijns’s $110K as Co-Executive Director Operations is at the 80th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1031 $100K–1M civil rights & advocacy 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

NameFY2025FY2022FY2021FY2020
Laura Reijns$109,931———
Katie McKay Bryson———$4,500
Aria Phillips—$275$200$150
Emily Mercy Bigelow—$225——
Amy Kelley——$200$150
David Clark——$100$175
Lillian Lennon——$150$125
Kaegan Koski—$125——

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 2Yes
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

Provides safe homes, supportive communities, and opportunities for queer Alaskan youth.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $376K · in their own filed words · FY2020
01

Housing and Case Management for Lgbtq Homeless Youth

Provided direct services to youth participants, including host home placement, intensive case management, material assistance, and wraparound supports to meet individual needs. 29 youth were housed by the program this year, and a total of 66 youth received case management and related interventions.

$308Kprogram expense
02

Advocacy for Homeless LGBTQ Youth within the broader Continuum of Care - the organization continued to offer systemic advocacy and meaningful interventions into community collaborations, in order to increase the prevalence and quality of culturally relevant supports for LGBTQ youth who experience homelessness in Alaska.

$59Kprogram expense
03

Youth Empowerment, Mentorship, and Leadership Development

Stipends ($25/monthly meeting) provided to youth who serve on the organization's Board of Directors. Several other youth participated in organizational committees to develop programming and hire staff; represented organization at local, regional, and national events, presentations and trainings; provided leadership in peer group…

$9Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

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

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Native MovementFY2025$10K
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$10K
Grants paid · 6 grants · $146K · 2019–2021
Unitemized GrantFY2021$52,502
Unitemized GrantFY2020$33,411
Unitemized GrantFY2020$17,366
Native MovementAK · FY2020$9,950
Unitemized GrantFY2019$22,858
Unitemized GrantFY2019$10,169

By the numbers

The FY2021 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$514K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$514K
Investment incomeLn 3$129
Money outPt IX
$431K
Ln 25
Programscol B$376K
Managementcol C$51K
Fundraisingcol D$5K
Owns and owesPt X
$148K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$247K
Total assetsLn 16$281K
LiabilitiesLn 26$133K
PeoplePt VI, VII
17
listed · VII A
PaidVII A6
Voting boardVI 1a13
IndependentVI 1b13
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$514K
Government grantsLn 1e$171K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$13K
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$0
Investment incomeLn 3$129
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$514K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$247K
SavingsLn 2$0
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$247K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$18K
Other assetsLn 15$0
Total assetsLn 16$281K
LiabilitiesLn 26$133K
Net assetsLn 32$148K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 54
VolunteersI 660
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY21End FY21
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$172K$247K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$2K$18K
Total assetsLn 16$193K$281K
LiabilitiesLn 26$129K$133K
Net assetsLn 32$64K$148K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$10K$10K
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$91K$91K
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$1K$1K$0$0
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0$0$0$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$195K$170K$25K$0
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$3K$3K$0$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$4K$4K$0$0
Payroll taxesLn 10$16K$14K$2K$0
Management feesLn 11a$0$0$0$0
Legal feesLn 11b$0$0$0$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$12K$0$12K$0
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0$0$0$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0$0$0$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$23K$23K$0$0
Advertising and promotionLn 12$6K$6K$20$0
Office expensesLn 13$13K$7K$2K$3K
Information technologyLn 14$12K$12K$0$0
RoyaltiesLn 15$0$0$0$0
OccupancyLn 16$9K$6K$3K$0
TravelLn 17$6K$6K$0$0
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0$0$0$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$40$40$0$0
InterestLn 20$0$0$0$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0$0$0$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$2K$0$2K$0
InsuranceLn 23$8K$5K$3K$0
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$20K$17K$2K$1K
Total functional expensesLn 25$431K$376K$51K$5K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $598K$622K−$24K$639K 990 PDF
FY2024 $587K$596K−$9K$684K 990 PDF
FY2023 $810K$919K−$109K$692K 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.3M$612K$653K$800K 990 PDF
FY2021 Viewing $514K$431K$83K$148K 990 PDF
FY2020 $201K$181K$21K$64K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $514,476 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $201,122$514,347
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $0$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $44$129
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $201,166$514,476
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $39,873$100,892
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $89,710$219,374
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $50,935$110,865
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $180,518$431,131
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $20,648$83,345
Part VI · Governance 13 of 13 board members independent, 3 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body13
VI-1b Independent voting members13
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $514,476 across 14 lines filed
VIII-1a Federated campaigns$0
VIII-1b Membership dues$0
VIII-1c Fundraising events$0
VIII-1d Related organizations$0
VIII-1e Government grants$170,517
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$343,830
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$12,904
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$514,347
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $129 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$129
VIII-5 RoyaltiesRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising eventsUnrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$0
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $129 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$514,476
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $431,131 across 30 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $9,950$9,950
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $90,942$90,942
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsPrograms $0$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for membersPrograms $0$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $1,125 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$1,125
IX-6 Pay of disqualified personsPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $170,464 · Management $24,697 · Fundraising $0$195,161
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $3,381 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$3,381
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $4,056 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$4,056
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $13,880 · Management $1,771 · Fundraising $0$15,651
IX-11a Management feesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $0 · Management $11,509 · Fundraising $0$11,509
IX-11d Lobbying feesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-11e Professional fundraising feesFundraising $0$0
IX-11f Investment management feesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $22,775 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$22,775
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $6,105 · Management $20 · Fundraising $0$6,125
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $7,046 · Management $2,453 · Fundraising $3,265$12,764
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $11,676 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$11,676
IX-15 RoyaltiesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $5,852 · Management $2,882 · Fundraising $0$8,734
IX-17 TravelPrograms $6,337 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$6,337
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officialsPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $40 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$40
IX-20 InterestPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-21 Payments to affiliatesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $0 · Management $2,294 · Fundraising $0$2,294
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $5,083 · Management $3,126 · Fundraising $0$8,209
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $17,177 · Management $1,825 · Fundraising $1,400$20,402
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $375,889 · Management $50,577 · Fundraising $4,665$431,131
Part X · Balance sheet $280,707 assets, 23 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $171,840$246,888
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $0$0
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $12,136$9,921
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $600$0
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $0$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $5,906$6,220
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $2,429$17,678
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $0$0
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $0$0
X-13 Program-related investmentsStart of year $0$0
X-14 Intangible assetsStart of year $0$0
X-15 Other assets$0
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $192,911$280,707
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $8,553$35,377
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $0$0
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $120,074$97,701
X-20 Tax-exempt bond liabilitiesStart of year $0$0
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $0$0
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $128,627$133,078
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $64,284$147,629
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $0$0
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $64,284$147,629
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $192,911$280,707
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $147,629 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$514,476
XI-2 Total expenses$431,131
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$83,345
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$64,284
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$0
XI-6 Donated services and use of facilities$0
XI-7 Investment expenses$0
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$0
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$147,629

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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