GOOD COUNSEL INC

As filed

Subsection

03

NTEE code

P420

Classification

1200

Street

600 MEADOWLANDS PKWY STE 251

These codes are the IRS's own and are shown exactly as filed. What each one means is in the Business Master File documentation (opens in a new tab).

Group exemption

A subordinate covered by the group exemption of UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE (EIN 53-0196617). matched by us

The IRS lists each organization's group exemption number; we match a subordinate to its central organization by that number and the affiliation code the IRS assigns.

Mission and programs · 2025

• HOUSING: IN 2025, GOOD COUNSEL PROVIDED HOUSING FOR 147 MOTHERS, A 12% INCREASE OVER 2024, REFLECTING THE GROWING NEED FOR SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE HOMES FOR PREGNANT WOMEN. DURING THE YEAR, 22 BABIES WERE BORN, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN WELCOMED THROUGH GOOD COUNSEL HOMES TO 1,383 SINCE 1985. IN ADDITION, 93 CHILDREN WERE CARED FOR IN 2025, A 16% INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. SECURING STABLE HOUSING DURING PREGNANCY IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR BOTH THE MOTHER AND HER UNBORN CHILD. WITHOUT A SAFE AND SECURE PLACE TO LIVE, A PREGNANT WOMAN FACES INCREASED RISKS-PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND MEDICALLY. STRESS FROM HOUSING INSTABILITY CAN LEAD TO COMPLICATIONS LIKE PREMATURE BIRTH, LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, AND POOR MATERNAL HEALTH. A STABLE HOME PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR PROPER NUTRITION, REST, PRENATAL CARE, AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING-ALL ESSENTIAL FOR A HEALTHY PREGNANCY. IT ALSO GIVES AN EXPECTANT MOTHER PEACE OF MIND AND THE DIGNITY OF KNOWING SHE AND HER BABY ARE SAFE. WHEN HOUSING IS SECURE, SHE CAN FOCUS ON PREPARING FOR MOTHERHOOD RATHER THAN SURVIVING DAY TO DAY. GOOD COUNSEL BEGAN WITH A RADICAL BELIEF: NO PREGNANT WOMAN SHOULD HAVE TO WALK ALONE. REAL LOVE DOES SOMETHING. IT SHOWS UP. IT HELPS CARRY THE WEIGHT. SHEILA FROM PENNSYLVANIA KNOWS THIS FIRSTHAND. ABANDONED BY THE FATHER OF HER RECENTLY CONCEIVED BABY - WHILE CARING FOR HER THREE-YEAR-OLD AUTISTIC SON - SHE FOUND HERSELF FACING THE UNTHINKABLE. CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES TOLD HER THAT, WITHOUT STABLE HOUSING, THEY WOULD TAKE HER SON AWAY. ALONE AND DESPERATE, SHEILA REACHED OUT TO GOOD COUNSEL'S 24/7 HELPLINE. ONCE SHE SETTLED IN, SHEILA WAS ABLE TO FOCUS ON HER PREGNANCY - GO TO DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS, EAT HEALTHY MEALS, AND CONCENTRATE ON PARENTING HER 3-YEAR-OLD. SHE IS NOW THRIVING AND NOT JUST SURVIVING. HAVING SECURE HOUSING MADE A DIFFERENCE. EVERY WOMAN WHO COMES TO GOOD COUNSEL HAS A DIFFERENT STORY, AND THE TIMING OF HER ARRIVAL OFTEN REFLECTS THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES SHE IS FACING. SOME MOTHERS FIND US WHILE THEY ARE STILL EXPECTING, SEEKING A SAFE AND STABLE PLACE DURING PREGNANCY. OTHERS REACH OUT ONLY AFTER THEIR BABY HAS BEEN BORN, WHEN THE REALITY OF CARING FOR A NEWBORN WITHOUT SUPPORT BECOMES OVERWHELMING. MANY EXPECTANT MOTHERS COME TO GOOD COUNSEL DURING MOMENTS OF CRISIS. WITH TIME, SOME ARE ABLE TO RECONNECT WITH FAMILY MEMBERS OR SECURE HOUSING BEFORE THEIR CHILD ARRIVES. IN OTHER SITUATIONS, THE CALL COMES FROM A HOSPITAL SHORTLY AFTER DELIVERY, WHEN A MOTHER REALIZES SHE HAS NOWHERE SAFE TO BRING HER NEWBORN HOME. SOME MOTHERS MOVE FROM GOOD COUNSEL INTO THEIR OWN APARTMENT, ONLY TO REALIZE HOW OVERWHELMING LIFE WITH A NEWBORN CAN BE WHEN THEY ARE ON THEIR OWN. WITHOUT NEARBY FAMILY, EXPERIENCED GUIDANCE, OR EVERYDAY PRACTICAL HELP, THE EARLY DAYS OF MOTHERHOOD CAN QUICKLY BECOME DAUNTING. GOOD COUNSEL CONTINUES TO WALK ALONGSIDE THESE WOMEN, ENSURING THEY ARE NEVER TRULY ALONE. THROUGH ONGOING ENCOURAGEMENT, GUIDANCE, AND SUPPORT, WE HELP NEW MOTHERS GAIN THE CONFIDENCE AND STABILITY THEY NEED AS THEY BEGIN THIS NEW CHAPTER OF CARING FOR THEIR CHILD.

  Expenses $1,026,494 · Revenue $7,025

• ADVOCACY: ADVOCACY PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE LIVES OF GOOD COUNSEL MOTHERS BECAUSE MANY ARRIVE FEELING ALONE, UNCERTAIN, AND UNSURE HOW TO WORK THROUGH THE COMPLICATED SYSTEMS THAT AFFECT THEIR LIVES. FROM FINDING STABLE HOUSING AND HEALTHCARE TO SECURING EMPLOYMENT OR UNDERSTANDING LEGAL MATTERS, THESE PROCESSES CAN BE OVERWHELMING - ESPECIALLY FOR A MOTHER ALREADY FACING A DIFFICULT SITUATION. ADVOCACY IS A VITAL PART OF OUR WORK EACH DAY. THROUGH EMAILS, LETTERS, SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND EVENTS, WE STRIVE TO EDUCATE AND INSPIRE THE BROADER COMMUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF HOMELESS AND ABANDONED PREGNANT MOTHERS - AND TO TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION. OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE ESTIMATE THAT OUR OUTREACH TOUCHED MORE THAN 100,000 INDIVIDUALS. AT GOOD COUNSEL, ADVOCACY MEANS WALKING ALONGSIDE EACH WOMAN AS SHE WORKS TO REBUILD HER LIFE. OUR TEAM HELPS MOTHERS UNDERSTAND THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THEM, CONNECT WITH ESSENTIAL SERVICES, AND NAVIGATE THE STEPS NEEDED TO CREATE STABILITY FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN. WHETHER ASSISTING WITH MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS, HELPING COMPLETE BENEFIT APPLICATIONS, OR GUIDING THEM THROUGH CHALLENGING DECISIONS, ADVOCACY ENSURES THAT EVERY MOTHER HAS SOMEONE IN HER CORNER. WITH PATIENT GUIDANCE AND STEADY SUPPORT, MOTHERS GAIN THE CONFIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO MOVE FORWARD. OVER TIME, THEY BEGIN TO RECOGNIZE THEIR OWN STRENGTH AND ABILITY TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES, LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR A MORE SECURE AND HOPEFUL FUTURE. ALLYSA CAME TO US FROM NEW JERSEY WHEN SHE WAS 18 WEEKS PREGNANT, CARRYING FAR MORE THAN THE WEIGHT OF HER PREGNANCY. SHE WAS STRUGGLING WITH DEPRESSION, PTSD, AND THE UNCERTAINTY OF HOMELESSNESS. WITH VERY LIMITED ENGLISH AND NO CLEAR SENSE OF WHAT THE NEXT DAY MIGHT HOLD, FEAR AND ISOLATION HAD BECOME PART OF HER DAILY LIFE. BUT WHEN ALLYSA ARRIVED AT GOOD COUNSEL, SOMETHING BEGAN TO CHANGE. IN A HOME FILLED WITH COMPASSION, PATIENCE, AND UNDERSTANDING, SHE SLOWLY STARTED TO REGAIN A SENSE OF SAFETY AND HOPE. EACH MOTHER WHO COMES TO GOOD COUNSEL MEETS WITH OUR CASE MANAGERS, WHO CAREFULLY ASSESS HER INDIVIDUAL NEEDS AND DEVELOP A PLAN OF SUPPORT TAILORED SPECIFICALLY TO HER SITUATION. OUR LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE MOTHERS, PROVIDING THE PROFESSIONAL CARE AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT MANY OF THEM URGENTLY NEED. THROUGH COUNSELING, GUIDANCE, AND THE STABILITY OF A SAFE HOME, MOTHERS LIKE ALLYSA BEGIN TO PROCESS THEIR TRAUMA, REBUILD THEIR CONFIDENCE, AND PREPARE FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN. AT GOOD COUNSEL, CARING FOR A MOTHER'S MENTAL HEALTH IS A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF HELPING HER REBUILD HER LIFE. MANY OF THE WOMEN WHO COME TO US HAVE EXPERIENCED SERIOUS TRAUMA, INCLUDING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, HOMELESSNESS, OR PROLONGED INSTABILITY. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THE IMPACT OF THESE EXPERIENCES ON MENTAL HEALTH CAN BE PROFOUND. ACCORDING TO THE CDC'S NATIONAL INTIMATE PARTNER AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE SURVEY, MORE THAN 80% OF WOMEN WHO EXPERIENCE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE REPORT SIGNIFICANT SHORT- OR LONG-TERM EMOTIONAL IMPACTS, INCLUDING SYMPTOMS SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS. OTHER STUDIES HAVE FOUND THAT WOMEN WHO HAVE ENDURED INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE ARE ABOUT TWO TIMES MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY DISORDERS THAN WOMEN WHO HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED ABUSE. THESE REALITIES MAKE ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT CRITICAL. FOR THIS REASON, GOOD COUNSEL PLACES A STRONG EMPHASIS ON EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CARE. THROUGH COUNSELING, COMPASSIONATE STAFF SUPPORT, AND A STABLE LIVING ENVIRONMENT, MOTHERS ARE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAL FROM TRAUMA, REGAIN CONFIDENCE, AND BEGIN BUILDING A HEALTHIER FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN.

  Expenses $2,379,600 · Revenue $16,286

• OUTREACH: INTAKE STAFF RECEIVED 3,354 CALLS IN 2025 THROUGH THE 24/7 HOTLINE. GOOD COUNSEL'S 24-HOUR HOTLINE SERVES AS AN ESSENTIAL POINT OF CONTACT FOR WOMEN EXPERIENCING CRISIS PREGNANCIES OR HOMELESSNESS. AT ANY HOUR OF THE DAY OR NIGHT, MOTHERS CAN REACH A CARING VOICE READY TO LISTEN, OFFER REASSURANCE, AND HELP THEM TAKE THE NEXT STEP FORWARD. MANY OF THE WOMEN WHO CALL ARE OVERWHELMED, ISOLATED, AND UNCERTAIN ABOUT WHAT TO DO NEXT. THROUGH THE HOTLINE, THEY IMMEDIATELY CONNECT WITH SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THEIR SITUATION AND CAN GUIDE THEM TOWARD REAL SUPPORT. THIS MAY INCLUDE EMERGENCY HOUSING, CONNECTIONS TO MEDICAL CARE, COUNSELING, AND ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CONFIDENCE. OFTEN, MOTHERS REACH OUT TO GOOD COUNSEL WHEN THEY HAVE RUN OUT OF OPTIONS AND ARE FEELING FRIGHTENED AND ALONE. KENYA WAS ONE OF THOSE MOTHERS. THE SHELTER WHERE SHE HAD BEEN STAYING TOLD HER SHE COULD NO LONGER REMAIN THERE BECAUSE SHE WAS PREGNANT. WITH NOWHERE ELSE TO TURN, SHE CALLED GOOD COUNSEL. ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE FOR HER TO COME, BUT BEFORE SHE COULD ARRIVE, KENYA WENT INTO LABOR AT JUST 27 WEEKS. HER BABY BOY, KENZO, WEIGHED ONLY 2 POUNDS, 7 OUNCES, BUT THANKFULLY HE WAS HEALTHY OVERALL. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHETHER THE STRESS OF HER SITUATION CONTRIBUTED TO PREMATURE LABOR DURING WHAT HAD OTHERWISE BEEN A HEALTHY PREGNANCY. WHAT MATTERED MOST WAS THAT KENYA KNEW SHE AND HER BABY HAD A SAFE PLACE WAITING FOR THEM ONCE THEY WERE RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL. SHE NO LONGER HAD TO MAKE DESPERATE PHONE CALLS SEARCHING FOR SHELTER OR FEAR THAT HER BABY MIGHT BE TAKEN FROM HER SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE HAD NOWHERE TO LIVE. INSTEAD, SHE HAD A HOME - AND PEOPLE WHO WERE READY TO CARE FOR BOTH HER AND HER CHILD. BY ENSURING THAT HELP IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE, GOOD COUNSEL MAKES CERTAIN THAT NO WOMAN HAS TO FACE A DIFFICULT MOMENT ALONE. FOR COUNTLESS MOTHERS, THAT FIRST CONVERSATION BECOMES THE TURNING POINT THAT LEADS THEM FROM FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY TOWARD STABILITY, HOPE, AND A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN. WE ALSO RECEIVED 1132 EMAILS REQUESTING ASSISTANCE, A 12% INCREASE WHEN COMPARED TO 2024. LAST YEAR, OUR CRISIS PREGNANCY WEBSITE WELCOMED MORE THAN 41,900 VISITS. THE SITE SERVES AS A NATIONAL RESOURCE, OFFERING INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE TO WOMEN SEEKING HELP DURING DIFFICULT MOMENTS. THROUGH THIS PLATFORM, WOMEN CAN CONNECT NOT ONLY WITH GOOD COUNSEL BUT ALSO WITH TRUSTED ORGANIZATIONS LOCATED CLOSER TO WHERE THEY LIVE, MAKING IT EASIER FOR THEM TO FIND THE SUPPORT AND SERVICES THEY NEED.

  Expenses $793,200 · Revenue $5,429

• ALL OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 1.WHILE FAITH IS NEVER A REQUIREMENT FOR A MOTHER TO BE WELCOMED INTO GOOD COUNSEL, IT IS ALWAYS A JOYFUL MOMENT WHEN A MOTHER CHOOSES TO HAVE HER CHILD BAPTIZED. IN 2025, SIX BABIES AND TWO MOTHERS RECEIVED CATHOLIC BAPTISMS, AND NINE ADDITIONAL CHILDREN WERE WELCOMED THROUGH CHRISTIAN CHRISTENINGS IN OTHER FAITH TRADITIONS. THESE MOMENTS ARE MEANINGFUL CELEBRATIONS FOR THE FAMILIES AND FOR THE GOOD COUNSEL COMMUNITY, MARKING IMPORTANT MILESTONES IN THEIR SPIRITUAL LIVES. 2.THE NUMBER OF DONORS INCREASED BY 16% COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND A 21% INCREASE ON AVERAGE BETWEEN 2021-2024. THIS GROWTH SUGGESTS THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE BECOMING AWARE OF AND CONNECTING WITH OUR MISSION. OUR MESSAGE OF SUPPORTING MOTHERS AND BABIES IS REACHING A BROADER AUDIENCE, LEADING TO STRONGER ENGAGEMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY. AS MORE INDIVIDUALS CHOOSE TO SUPPORT OUR WORK, IT REFLECTS A GROWING LEVEL OF TRUST AND COMMITMENT TO THE IMPACT WE ARE MAKING. EXPANDING OUR DONOR BASE ALSO STRENGTHENS THE ORGANIZATION BY DIVERSIFYING SUPPORT, WHICH HELPS CREATE A MORE STABLE AND SUSTAINABLE FOUNDATION FOR FUNDRAISING IN THE YEARS AHEAD.

  Expenses $466,589 · Revenue $3,193

As filed on the 2025 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Officers and directors · 2025

As listed in Part VII of the 2025 return, in the order the filer printed them. Each return names its own; this is not a roster the organization keeps with us.

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us. Earlier years are each on their own filing page.

Filings

• 2025

  Revenue

  $6,374,956

  Expenses

  $6,232,205

  Contributions

  $6,463,087

  Grants paid

  $0

• 2023

  Revenue

  $4,989,536

  Expenses

  $5,521,839

  Contributions

  $4,963,954

  Grants paid

  $0

• 2022

  Revenue

  $5,364,059

  Expenses

  $5,045,982

  Contributions

  $5,471,312

  Grants paid

  $0

The four totals the IRS asks for on Part I of the Form 990, as filed. A dash means the figure was not present on the return — not that it was zero.

Other returns filed

• 2021 · 990

  Revenue

  $6,113,864

  Expenses

  $4,774,662

  Assets (EOY)

  $5,214,431

• 2020 · 990

  Revenue

  $5,226,179

  Expenses

  $4,963,884

  Assets (EOY)

  $4,582,561

• 2019 · 990

  Revenue

  $5,121,043

  Expenses

  $5,342,655

  Assets (EOY)

  $3,668,845

• 2018 · 990

  Revenue

  $5,645,427

  Expenses

  $5,823,129

  Assets (EOY)

  $3,952,673

• 2018 · 990

  Revenue

  $5,645,427

  Expenses

  $5,823,129

  Assets (EOY)

  $3,952,673

• 2017 · 990

  Revenue

  $4,832,017

  Expenses

  $5,335,846

  Assets (EOY)

  $4,192,301

• 2016 · 990

  Revenue

  $6,157,961

  Expenses

  $5,012,017

  Assets (EOY)

  $4,768,389

• 2015 · 990

  Revenue

  $4,621,184

  Expenses

  $4,432,823

  Assets (EOY)

  $3,458,471

• 2014 · 990

  Revenue

  $4,786,637

  Expenses

  $4,357,837

  Assets (EOY)

  $3,262,259

• 2013 · 990

  Revenue

  $4,242,068

  Expenses

  $4,008,534

  Assets (EOY)

  $2,808,425

Nonprofiteer parses Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF, in a window of recent tax years. These returns are recorded from the IRS e-file index, so their figures were extracted by that index rather than read from the return here — treat them as a different source from the filings above, not as more of the same record. A dash means the index carries no figure; Form 990-T listings carry none at all. Showing the 10 most recent; the API carries the rest.

Grants made

No itemized grants to organizations. Schedule I is filed only by organizations that granted more than $5,000 to a recipient, so most filers have none.

Grants received

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $301,071

  2024 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM

  $176,500

  2023 · FOR RECIPIENT'S EXEMPT PURPOSE

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $172,255

  2023 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING

  $163,740

  2024 · HUMAN SERVICES

• VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM

  $137,500

  2022 · FOR RECIPIENT'S EXEMPT PURPOSE

• NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

  $128,500

  2022 · GROWTH

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $113,950

  2022 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING

  $100,450

  2023 · HUMAN SERVICES

• NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TR

  $86,300

  2022 · HUMAN SERVICES

• SOVEREIGN MILITARY HOSPITALLER ORDER OF ST JOHN OF JERUSALEM OF

  $54,341

  2022 · GENERAL SUPPORT

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Taxable family

From Schedule R Parts I, III and IV: entities that legally are the filer, and taxable partnerships, corporations and trusts it is related to. These record ownership and control, not shared board members or money.

Other IRS files