NPI Evaluation of Huckleberry Youth Programs

NONPROFIT INVESTOR I N D E P E N D E N T R E S E A R C H F O R P H I L A N T H R O P Y

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SUMMARY

Founded in 1967, Huckleberry Youth Programs, Inc. (“Huckleberry”) helps young people in San Francisco and Marin make healthy life choices and maximize their potential through its comprehensive and innovative programs.

STRENGTHS

▲Program make tangible impact on San Francisco and Marin youth

The 5 different programs help San Francisco and Marin adolescents in four key ways, by providing temporary shelter, medical care, academic support, and juvenile justice system diversion to San Francisco teens.

▲Partnerships with federal and local governments increase impact

The Department of Public Health provides Huckleberry with the support necessary to offer quality health care services. The San Francisco police department collaborates by contacting Huckleberry Community Assessment and Referral Center (CARC) for every junior arrest the department makes.

▲Programs are actively managed to provide maximum impact

Management actively monitors program offerings for effectiveness and has demonstrated an ability to reallocate resources away from less impactful programs. In fact, Huckleberry shut down Nine Grove Lane, an adolescent shelter in Marin, when the shelter was not used to full capacity. Huckleberry then focused on other, more impactful, programs such as the Wellness Academy and Multi‐services center.

CAUTIONS

● Strong reliance on government funding – Majority of funding is from the government, which could be volatile and unstable. However, Huckleberry is trying to increase funding from other sources, such as special events, to stabilize the funding sources.

● Measurement of impact can be more precise ‐ It’s difficult to quantify the impact of the programs. Huckleberry should engage in a research program to record and evaluate the impact of different programs, especially the education workshops.

RECOMMENDATION: BUY

Huckleberry has proven successful in helping young people develop healthy

life decisions. These programs have made positive impact on participating

students. NPI recommends considering a donation, volunteering for one of

Huckleberry’s programs, and/or becoming a sponsor of Huckleberry.

Huckleberry Youth Programs, Inc. Nonprofit Investor Rating:

BUY Mission Statement

Educate, inspire, and support underserved youth to develop healthy life choices, to maximize their potential, and to realize their dreams Financial Overview

$ in MM, Fiscal Year Ended Jun 30

2011 2012 2013

Revenue and Support $4.0 $4.3 $4.5

Operating Expenses $4.0 $4.3 $4.5

% of Total:

Program Expenses 73.5% 75.2% 78.4%

G&A 12.2% 11.3% 9.5%

Fundraising 14.3% 13.5% 12.1%

Year Founded: 1967

Contact Details

Huckleberry Youth Programs 3310 Geary Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 668‐2622 / 1‐800‐735‐2929 Fax (415) 668‐0631 http://www.huckleberryyouth.org EIN: 94‐1687559

Analyst: Lucy Wang

Peer Review: JB Oldenburg, Jordan Carter Publication Date

May 20, 2014

Huckleberry Youth Programs | Nonprofit Investor Research 2

OVERVIEW OF HUCKLEBERY YOUTH PROGRAMS ACTIVITIES

Huckleberry was founded on the belief that adolescence is a dynamic and challenging time of life. Huckleberry provides

many programs to help youth make healthy life decisions.

The organization started in 1967 with Huckleberry House, an adolescent shelter for run‐away youth. Over the years,

Huckleberry established 4 more programs: Huckleberry’s Multi‐Service Center, Huckleberry’s Wellness Academy,

Huckleberry Teen Health Program, and Huckleberry’s Community Assessment and Assessment Referral Center. The

management team actively evaluates program offerings and is not hesitant to shut down inefficient programs. In fact, in

2009, Huckleberry shut down Nine Grove Lane, an adolescent shelter in Marin, when the shelter was not used in full

capacity and public funding in sheltering services decreased. The current program offerings came from a Strategic Plan

developed in 2007 as Huckleberry marked its 40th anniversary.

In addition, Huckleberry actively forms partnership with other organizations such as the Department of Health and San

Francisco police department to increase its programs’ impact.

Programs overview

Huckleberry’s Wellness Academy (21% of 2013 total Program Expenses)

Started in 2008, Huckleberry Wellness Academy provides academic support for underperforming youth and prepares

them for college and a career in health care. Students at the Huckleberry Wellness Academy are low‐income youth,

usually the first generation in their family to attend college, and have an interest in pursuing a health career. The

Wellness Academy provides academic support, education about health issues, psychosocial support, placement in health

internships, assistance with college applications, as well as support through their first year in college. Huckleberry

Academy admits approximately 30 students to each annual new class and provides support for 4‐5 years until students’

first year of college.

Huckleberry Community Assessment and Referral Center (CARC) (24% of 2013 total Program Expenses)

Started in 2000, CARC works with arrested youth to help them reengage back into society. Currently, CARC works with

20% of total youth arrested in San Francisco. CARC counselors actively work with youth to help them reintegrate into

schools, meet probation requirements, complete community service, and participate in positive youth development

programs. Many success stories have been shared in which CARC played an integral role in reintegrating an at‐risk youth

into school and society. CARC is considered one of the most successful community based juvenile justice diversion

programs in the US. In 2010, Department General Order (DGO) for the SF Police Department explicitly stated that police

officers are required to contact Huckleberry CARC in all juvenile arrests.

Huckleberry House (21% of 2013 total Program Expenses)

As the core of Huckleberry, Huckleberry House provides a temporary home for adolescents in crisis. Huckleberry House

offers not only a shelter for youth, but also assistance with family reunification. When teens are staying in the house,

they also get emotional support from councilors, school assistance from tutors, and opportunities to engage in arts and

physical activities. The shelter, started in 1967, has 6 beds, a 24/7 crisis line and emergency services. In 2013, 212

youths received overnight shelter services and crisis intervention at Huckleberry House.

Huckleberry Multi‐Service Center (17% of 2013 total Program Expenses)

Started in 2009, Huckleberry Multi‐Service Center is a one‐stop health center for San Francisco youth, and a provider of

health education workshops to San Francisco schools. The multi‐service center partners with the San Francisco

Department of Public Health to provide medical services, including primary and reproductive health care. In 2013,


Huckleberry multi‐service center taught over 3,000 students basic health education and provided medical services to

855 students.

Huckleberry Teen Health Program (17% of 2013 total Program Expenses)

Started in 1996, Huckleberry Teen Health Program is the Multi‐Service Center equivalent program for underserved

youth in Marin. The program offers teen clinics as well as health workshops for schools and communities. Most of the

teens in the program are from the Canal District of San Rafael. In 2013, Huckleberry Teen Health program served 781

teens.

PROGRAM RESULTS AND EFFECTIVENESS

Huckleberry has grown from providing shelter service to hundreds of at‐risk youths at its inception in 1967 to serving

over 6000 teens with its 5 current programs in 2013.

2013 program impact breakdown:

Program No. of Youth Assisted with

Wellness Academies in San Francisco and Marin 150 Academic support and health related career guidance

CARC 437 Juvenile justice

Huckleberry House 212 Emergency shelter service and crisis intervention

San Francisco Multi‐Service Center 855 Medical services

Marin Multi‐Service Center 781 Medical services

Health Education Workshops in schools 3,823 Health Education

Cost per adolescent is difficult to quantify since the impact of each program is different. For example, over 3000

students went through the health education classes, but it’s difficult to determine how significant the health classes

were. However, the students who received medical care, counseling, academic support, and shelter assistance received

tangible, timely support. California Postsecondary Education Commission reports only ~30% of teenagers attend college

in the San Francisco Bay region, but over 95% of students from the Wellness Academies are going to college (out of the

30 students in the Wellness Academy this past year).

Over time, cost per student has stayed constant, with some minor fluctuations given changes in funding. Huckleberry

seems to be able to adjust spending and number of youths served as funding level changes. This shows that Huckleberry

has exercised solid fiscal discipline and can adapt to varying degrees of funding. (See Cost Per Student Over Time for

details)

TRANSPARENCY

Huckleberry provides financial information and the number of students served by each program in its annual reports

(2006 to 2013 available on its website). Huckleberry also files a form 990 with the IRS on an annual basis, but the forms

are not available on the organization’s website. Upon request, Huckleberry was happy to provide the last three years of

complete financial statements. The actual financial details are slightly different from those disclosed in the annual

reports because the actual data were not normalized for pledged / restricted donations. When asked about the

differences, Huckleberry patiently explained the differences for each item. Lucy was able to speak with Bruce Fisher,

Executive Director and Bruce Rice, Fiscal Director multiple times in order to better understand Huckleberry.

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

Huckleberry has healthy cash reserves and strong financial security. Every year the organization keeps its budget at

around $4MM. As the economy continues through recession and government slowly decreases its government funding,


Huckleberry tries to move its funding source away from government. Government funding reliance moved from 66% in

2008 to 62% in 2013 as Huckleberry tried to increase fundraising from other sources, such as special events. 2013

fundraiser events included the Cirque du Soleil fundraiser and auction events. It will be important to track the success in

other funding sources as Huckleberry decreases its reliance on government funding.

Revenue Mix Over Time 2013 Revenue Mix

$ in MM

Expenses:

Program expenses have increased to 78% of total expenses in 2013, compared to 75% in 2012 and 73% in 2011,

demonstrating better alignment of funds to fulfill the mission. Every year, Huckleberry tries to keep its expenses at the

budgeted level of $4MM.

2013 expenses increased by 5% from the prior year due to higher program expenses and higher management and

general expense. The increase in these expenses was likely driven by innovations in programs and program facility make‐

overs. Some line items on the expenses side are inconsistent historically because expense line items have historically

been broken out into additional sub‐categories as certain programs increase in size. (e.g., Wellness Academy in San

Francisco and Marin)

Expense Breakout Over Time

$ in MM

$4.5

$0.0

$2.0

$4.0

$6.0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013Foundation Grants Individual Donations Corporate Donations

Special Events Governments Miscellaneous

$3.7 $3.9 $4.0 $4.2 $4.

$4.5

72.6% 75.6% 73.2% 73.5% 75.2% 78.4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

$0.0

$1.0

$2.0

$3.0

$4.0

$5.0

$6.0

$7.0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013Program Services Management and General

Fundraising Program Expense % of Total

$3.9 $4.0 $4.1 $4.1 $4.3


Detailed Financial Information

Fiscal Year Ended June 30 2011 2012 2013

Revenue and Expenses (GAAP Accounting Basis) Operating Revenue: Foundation Grants $1,009,074 $1,309,124 $1,108,757 Individual Donations $141,376 $125,801 $160,245 Corporate Donations $170,874 $136,733 $162,910 Special Events $153,586 $283,042 $240,942 Governments $2,457,425 $2,328,272 $2,782,910 Miscellaneous $37,513 $94,616 $33,564

Total Support and Revenues $3,969,848 $4,277,588 $4,489,328 % Growth 2.9% 7.8% 4.9% Expenses: San Francisco Program Huckleberry House, SF $592,655 $628,331 $739,536 Huckleberry Multi-Service Center / Youth Clinic /

Counseling Services $767,571 $557,919 $602,987

Huckleberry Wellness Academy, SF $0 $296,988 $350,075 CARC $770,388 $778,993 $854,987 Marin Programs Huckleberry Multi-Service Center / Teen Health

Program $793,578 $480,134 $582,964

Huckleberry Wellness Academy $0 $475,277 $385,991 Support Services $484,349 $481,163 $427,480 Fundraising $568,862 $577,649 $543,152

Total Expenses: $3,977,403 $4,276,454 $4,487,172 % of Revenue 100.2% 100.0% 100.0% Increase in Net Assets from Operations ($7,555) $1,134 $2,156 Expenses by Function (GAAP Accounting Basis) Program Services $2,924,192 $3,217,642 $3,516,540 Management and General $484,349 $481,163 $427,480 Fundraising $568,862 $577,649 $543,152

Total Expenses $3,977,403 $4,276,454 $4,487,172

Program Costs as a % of Total Expenses 73.5% 75.2% 78.4% G&A as a % of Total Expenses 12.2% 11.3% 9.5% Fundraising as a % of Total Expenses 14.3% 13.5% 12.1%

Source: Adjusted GAAP financials from Annual Report


Cost Per Student Over Time

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

SF Huckleberry House

Number of Students 273 187 231 241 212

Total Expenses $582,378 $534,947 $592,655 $628,331 $739,536

Cost Per Student $2,133 $2,861 $2,566 $2,607 $3,488

Y0Y Change

Number of Students ‐32% 24% 4% ‐12%

Total Expenses ‐8% 11% 6% 18%

Cost Per Student 34% ‐10% 2% 34%

SF Huckleberry Multi-Service Center / Youth Clinic / Counseling Services

Number of Students 1,011 1,132 686 954 855

Total Expenses $735,247 $644,398 $767,571 $557,919 $602,987

Cost Per Student $727 $569 $1,119 $585 $705

Y0Y Change

Number of Students 12% ‐39% 39% ‐10%

Total Expenses ‐12% 19% ‐27% 8%

Cost Per Student ‐22% 97% ‐48% 21%

SF and Marin Huckleberry Wellness Academy


Total Expenses $198,071 $218,240 $0 $772,265 $736,066

Cost Per Student $4,126 $2,568 $0 $5,678 $4,907

Y0Y Change

Number of Students 77% 25% 28% 10%

Total Expenses 10% n.a. n.a. ‐5%

Cost Per Student ‐38% n.a. n.a. 14%

CARC


Total Expenses $716,579 $758,671 $770,388 $778,993 $854,987

Cost Per Student $1,293 $1,536 $1,775 $1,693 $1,956

Y0Y Change

Number of Students ‐11% ‐12% 6% ‐5%

Total Expenses 6% 2% 1% 10%

Cost Per Student 19% 16% ‐5% 16%


Marin Huckleberry Multi-Service Center / Teen Health Program


Total Expenses $678,253 $689,082 $793,578 $480,134 $582,964

Cost Per Student $1,071 $1,087 $1,002 $524 $746

Y0Y Change

Number of Students 0% 25% 16% ‐15%

Total Expenses 2% 15% ‐39% 21%

Cost Per Student 1% ‐8% ‐48% 43%

Total Huckleberry Youth

Number of Students 2,519 2,532 2,249 2,708 2,435

Total Expenses $2,910,528 $2,845,338 $2,924,192 $3,217,642 $3,516,540

Cost Per Student $1,155 $1,124 $1,300 $1,188 $1,444

Y0Y Change

Number of Students 1% ‐11% 20% ‐10%

Total Expenses ‐2% 3% 10% 9%

Cost Per Student ‐3% 16% ‐9% 22%


KEY PERSONNEL BIOS

Bruce Fisher, Executive Director

Mr. Fisher is a graduate of University of Washington, where he earned his BA in History, followed by a JD at Harvard Law

School. Mr. Fisher came to Huckleberry Youth Programs (HYP) as Project Director in 1985 and became Executive Director

in 1988. With 30 years of experience in administrative and fiscal management as a social policy analyst, Mr. Fisher is

responsible for overall administration and development for HYP. Prior to HYP, he was a partner in Urban and Rural

Systems Associates, directing national studies and evaluations in the areas of child and adolescent abuse, juvenile

prostitution, family violence, and juvenile justice and corrections. Under Mr. Fisher’s leadership, HYP has created the

Cole Street Youth Clinic, the Huckleberry Teen Health Program (Marin), and the Huckleberry Wellness Academies. The

agency has also assumed management of the largest juvenile justice diversion program in the Bay Area, San Francisco’s

Community Assessment and Referral Center. In addition to his work at HYP, Mr. Fisher is a juvenile justice policy

consultant to the Vera Institute of Justice in New York and the Co‐Founder and former Co‐Chair of the San Francisco

Human Services Network, a public policy organization of over 100 non‐profit agencies that provide health and social

services in San Francisco.

DISCLOSURES Lucy Wang certifies that she does not have any affiliation with Huckleberry Youth Programs and has never made a donation to the organization. Additionally, Lucy Wang has not supported directly competing organizations in a greater capacity than a nominal donation. Lucy Wang and NPI as an organization do not receive any form of compensation from reviewed charities.

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