Choosing Our Roots FY2024 filing

Tax-deductible

Anchorage, AK501(c)(3)Since 2017Civil Rights & AdvocacyEIN 82-3583339Revenue $587K in FY2024

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.
93¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX

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
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
93%
of spending
Looks good: 93% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Cash reserves
4 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 3.8 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
$27K
4% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 4% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
7
of 7 voting members
Looks good: 7 of 7 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$587K
-27% vs prior year
Spent
$596K
To programs
93%
Net assets
$684K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$587K
FY2024▼ -27%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$201K
FY2021$514K
FY2022$1.3M
FY2023$810K
FY2024$587K
FY2025$598K
Expenses
$596K
FY2024▼ -35%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$181K
FY2021$431K
FY2022$612K
FY2023$919K
FY2024$596K
FY2025$622K
Net assets
$684K
FY2024▼ -1%
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 FY2024 Form 990 (year ending June 2024) · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2024 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

93 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 93% · $554K Management & general 7% · $41K Fundraising 0% · $819

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

7 people listed on the 990.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2023); the FY2024 filing did not itemize Part VII
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Co-Executive Director Operat
$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.

See Choosing Our Roots 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

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

Questions for Choosing Our Roots

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $554K · in their own filed words · FY2023
01

Housing and Case Management for Lgbtq Homeless Youth

Provided direct services to youth participants, including host home placement, bridge housing, intensive case managment, material assistance, and wraparound supports to meet individual needs.

$554Kprogram 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 FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$587K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$578K
Other incomeLn 4–11$9K
Investment incomeLn 3$81
Money outPt IX
$596K
Ln 25
Programscol B$554K
Managementcol C$41K
Fundraisingcol D$819
Owns and owesPt X
$684K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$188K
Total assetsLn 16$711K
LiabilitiesLn 26$27K
PeoplePt VI, VII
7
listed · VII A
PaidVII A0
Voting boardVI 1a7
IndependentVI 1b7
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$578K
Government grantsLn 1e$465K
Investment incomeLn 3$81
Other incomeLn 4–11$9K
Total revenueLn 12$587K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$188K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$188K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$462K
Total assetsLn 16$711K
LiabilitiesLn 26$27K
Net assetsLn 32$684K
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 FY24End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$185K$188K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$476K$462K
Total assetsLn 16$721K$711K
LiabilitiesLn 26$29K$27K
Net assetsLn 32$692K$684K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$162K$162K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$268K$268K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$3K$3K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$12K$12K−$6
Payroll taxesLn 10$23K$23K
Accounting feesLn 11c$26K$6K$19K
Office expensesLn 13$17K$9K$7K$819
OccupancyLn 16$48K$47K$305
TravelLn 17$5K$5K$647
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$13K$13K
InsuranceLn 23$16K$16K
All other expensesLn 24e$3K$3K$271
Total functional expensesLn 25$596K$554K$41K$819

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $598K$622K−$24K$639K 990 PDF
FY2024 Viewing $587K$596K−$9K$684K 990 PDF
FY2023 $810K$919K−$109K$692K 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.3M$612K$653K$800K 990 PDF
FY2021 $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 FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $587,460 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $809,892$578,379
I-9 Program service revenue$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $78$81
I-11 Other revenue$9,000
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $809,970$587,460
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $390,882$162,336
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $385,688$306,010
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $141,977$127,743
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $918,547$596,089
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$108,577−$8,629
Part VI · Governance 7 of 7 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body7
VI-1b Independent voting members7
VI-13 Written whistleblower 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-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $587,460 across 6 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$464,881
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$113,498
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$578,379
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $81$81
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossExcluded from tax $9,000$9,000
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $9,081$587,460
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $596,089 across 12 lines filed
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $162,336$162,336
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $267,965$267,965
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $3,438$3,438
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $11,584 · Management −$6$11,578
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $23,029$23,029
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $6,233 · Management $19,327$25,560
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $9,132 · Management $7,110 · Fundraising $819$17,061
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $47,384 · Management $305$47,689
IX-17 TravelPrograms $4,836 · Management $647$5,483
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationManagement $13,369$13,369
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $15,597$15,597
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $2,713 · Management $271$2,984
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $554,247 · Management $41,023 · Fundraising $819$596,089
Part X · Balance sheet $710,754 assets, 12 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $185,474$188,254
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $57,611$57,611
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $150$150
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $2,519$2,519
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $475,590$462,220
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $721,344$710,754
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $29,458$27,108
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $29,458$27,108
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $543,646$535,406
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $148,240$148,240
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $691,886$683,646
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $721,344$710,754
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $683,646 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$587,460
XI-2 Total expenses$596,089
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$8,629
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$691,886
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$389
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$683,646

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

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