Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 1978.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
92 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
26 people listed on the 990; $659K paid to officers and key staff.
Ronnetta Johnson’s $204K as Chief Executive Officer is at the 46th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronnetta Johnson | $203,758 | $203,758 | $188,835 | $169,540 | $171,437 | $155,760 |
| Hether Benjamin - Chief Program | $153,890 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hether Lombardo-Benjamin | — | $149,948 | $146,614 | $120,190 | $116,041 | $107,187 |
| Lita Mercado - Chief Program | $138,123 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Carol Carlson | $135,087 | $131,516 | $133,031 | $105,883 | $102,077 | — |
| Melinda Ramos | $134,318 | $129,261 | $121,535 | $109,507 | $105,832 | $102,275 |
| Lita Mercado | — | $133,989 | $123,233 | $112,395 | $101,873 | $100,111 |
| Mariel Cisterino | $121,922 | $118,409 | $110,036 | — | — | — |
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
Builds safer communities by guiding individuals through conflict and crisis to strength and stability.
Questions for Waymakers
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Victim/Witness Assistance
Provided comprehensive assistance services for all victims and witnesses of crime within the county of orange, including victim assistance, witness services, restitution processing and specialized programs for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, homicide, gang violence, elder abuse, human trafficking and hate crimes.
Youth Development Services/Wraparound Programs
Provided prevention and intervention services for high-risk youth including family counseling, parent education, youth enrichment and alcohol, tobacco, and drug prevention services. The wraparound programs provided services to youth with complex needs and emotional, mental health or behavioral issues, including in-home and community…
Crisis Residential Services and Huntington Beach Youth Shelter
Provided short-term crisis intervention program in laguna beach and tustin for youth ages 13-17 to stabilize the youth and facilitate family reunification. Provided emergency, temporary residential services in huntington beach for runaway, abused and troubled teens in crisis. Both services include parent counseling.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2022 990, line by line.
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| Line | Start FY22 | End FY22 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $5.7M | $2.7M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $177K | $177K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $1.2M | $1.3M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $10.8M | $8.7M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $6.6M | $3.7M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $4.2M | $5.0M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $449K | $449K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $16.1M | $15.1M | $1.0M | |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $502K | $464K | $38K | |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $2.0M | $1.8M | $111K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $1.3M | $1.2M | $109K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $81K | $81K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $7K | $7K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $517K | $475K | $42K | $103 |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $69K | $28K | $42K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $463K | $425K | $37K | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $353K | $306K | $46K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $819K | $749K | $70K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $223K | $221K | $2K | $137 |
| InterestLn 20 | $45K | $45K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $52K | $51K | $313 | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $114K | $106K | $8K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $1.2M | $1.2M | $949 | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $935K | $920K | $16K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $25.2M | $23.1M | $2.1M | $1K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $31.8M | $31.5M | $366K | $4.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $32.4M | $32.5M | −$59K | $3.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $31.1M | $31.7M | −$584K | $4.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 Viewing | $26.2M | $25.2M | $1.0M | $5.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $25.3M | $25.5M | −$176K | $4.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $24.6M | $24.8M | −$225K | $4.3M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2022 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $26,242,342 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 20 of 20 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $26,242,342 across 11 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $25,203,503 across 18 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $8,709,033 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $5,040,982 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2022 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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