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COUNCIL FOR CHILDRENS RIGHTS INC

EIN 56-1325184 CHARLOTTE, NC

Revenue 2024
$1,482,245
Expenses 2024
$2,140,200

Program services were 80.4% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

As filed

Subsection
03
Classification
2100
Street
601 E 5TH ST STE 450

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).

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

Council for children's rights protects and advances the legal rights and development of children through individual representation,community education, and by addressing community wide issues through systems advocacy, research, and policy work.

  • Childrens Defense Advocacy (CDT):Children's Defense Advocacy- the council serves as the specialized juvenile publicdefender in Mecklenburg County. through a contract with the North Carolina office ofindigent defense services, which provides funding for roughly 76% of the cost of theprogram, the council's attorneys represent all children charged with crimes injuvenile delinquency court. In addition to performing the public defender role injuvenile court, the council represents every child that is facing confinement inmental health institution as express interest attorneys, the council provides thevoice of the child and fights to ensure that the child's constitutional and statutory rights are protected. The council is the only specialized juvenile public defender in North Carolina.

    Expenses $641,178

  • Education Advocacy (ELP):Education advocacy- the council 's attorneys and advocates serve as best interestadvocates for children who need services. These advocates work in the complex area of special education, mental health, child welfare (abuse, neglect and dependency), public benefits, domestic violence and human trafficking. The council receives almost all these cases by court order through the district court, and occasionally through community referrals from concerned parents, guardians,relatives or others who contact the council's office. the council helps clients navigate compels social services systems so they can receive appropriate services to meet their needs. when advocacy or other intervention efforts are unsuccessful, the council can use impact litigation on behalf of an individual child to ensure that the child's legal rights are protected. the council specializes in working with children who have complex needs in multiples social services systems, who are at risk of languishing and falling through the cracks.

    Expenses $514,617

  • Custody Advocacy (CAP):Custody Advocacy- the council serves as the court appointed best interest attorney to represent the best interests of children who are caught in the middle of highconflict custody cases. Using a combination of staff attorneys, volunteer attorneysand volunteer child advocates, the council ensures that the child's voice is heardand that the judge has all the necessary information to make a decision that is inthe best interest of the child. The council receive cases through court appointmentform a district court judge; the program operates only through a court-ordered feebased on the income of the parties. The council represents only the child- not the court or the parents.

    Expenses $441,272 · Revenue $23,684

  • System Advocacy (Research):System Advocacy- the council identifies gaps in services to children and promotesimprovement in those services so fewer children fall into crisis. We championimprovement both through our own communications and by encouraging others to joinour advocacy. the council seeks to influence the learners of local and stategovernments to adopt new policies and to improve existing laws so all childrenreceive effective and efficient services. The council informs the public about howsystems are succeeding and where systems are falling to provide the services ourchildren need to be safe, healthy, and educated. We encourage the community to joinus in action to celebrate successes and to advocate for the correction of failures.Research is the core of the council's improvement of services for all children. Our research work draws on a wealth of information to guide our adoption and implementation of the best practices for helping children to be safe, healthy and educated. First, we capture and analyze our direct knowledge of the legal and social systems serving children in our community and the firsthand data accumulated from more than 35 years of standing up for children. Second, we collaborate with our communitys children and the solutions that work. Finally, we apply research from outside resources to confirm indemnified needs and to validate proposed solutions.

    Expenses $122,763

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Officers and directors · 2024

As listed in Part VII of the 2024 return, in the order the filer printed them. Each return names its own; this is not a roster the organization keeps with us.

  • Heather Johnson

    Executive Dir.

    Total calculated
    $152,510
    From this org
    $132,387
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $20,123
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $132,387
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    not reported
    Nontaxable benefits
    $20,123
    Filer's total
    $152,510

  • Keith Atkinson

    Treas. Co-Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    3.5

  • Ruth Cavin

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Amanda Christie

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Kim Cochran

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Emily Costigan

    Treas. Co-Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    3.5

  • Virginia Covill

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Amanda Demopolous

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Deb Dilman

    President

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    3.5

  • Landon Eustache

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Lesley Garafola

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Rashaad Hamilton

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Deb Hanna

    Past President

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Najla Long

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • T Richmond McPherson III

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Sarah Negus

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Windy Oliver

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Beth Richek

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Cory Rogers

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Lindsey Smith

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

  • Jennifer Terry

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1.5

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

  • 2024
    Revenue
    $1,482,245
    Expenses
    $2,140,200
    Contributions
    $1,498,653
    Grants paid
    $0
  • 2023
    Revenue
    $2,414,299
    Expenses
    $2,524,566
    Contributions
    $2,325,183
    Grants paid
    $0
  • 2022
    Revenue
    $2,188,282
    Expenses
    $2,562,948
    Contributions
    $1,976,043
    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
    $2,610,689
    Expenses
    $2,450,491
    Assets (EOY)
    $1,952,352

  • 2020 · 990

    Revenue
    $3,059,567
    Expenses
    $2,177,374
    Assets (EOY)
    $2,134,619

  • 2019 · 990

    Revenue
    $1,750,906
    Expenses
    $2,326,935
    Assets (EOY)
    $1,129,097

  • 2018 · 990

    Revenue
    $2,516,060
    Expenses
    $2,218,046
    Assets (EOY)
    $1,430,840

  • 2017 · 990

    Revenue
    $2,366,765
    Expenses
    $2,470,453
    Assets (EOY)
    $1,167,739

  • 2016 · 990

    Revenue
    $2,490,411
    Expenses
    $2,443,075
    Assets (EOY)
    $1,310,320

  • 2015 · 990

    Revenue
    $2,527,382
    Expenses
    $2,339,411
    Assets (EOY)
    $1,278,359

  • 2014 · 990

    Revenue
    $1,740,486
    Expenses
    $2,491,718
    Assets (EOY)
    $832,478

  • 2013 · 990

    Revenue
    $1,548,143
    Expenses
    $2,735,078
    Assets (EOY)
    $1,571,201

  • 2012 · 990

    Revenue
    not reported
    Expenses
    $2,638,772
    Assets (EOY)
    $2,760,413

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

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

Other IRS files

Auto-Revocation List

Not listed. The IRS publishes this list for organizations whose exemption was automatically revoked for failing to file for three consecutive years.

Publication 78

Listed as of 13 October 2026, under deductibility PC.

These are two separate IRS files on two separate schedules, shown as published and not reconciled with each other. Neither is a statement about whether a contribution is deductible today: 19,245 organizations appear in Publication 78 while the IRS's own revocation file lists them as currently revoked, more than half of those revoked before 2019. Absence from Publication 78 is evidence of nothing, and presence is not evidence either. Verify current status with the IRS before relying on it.

What this page reflects

The registration facts above come from the IRS Business Master File published 13 October 2026 and read 23 October 2026, for every organization at once. Returns through tax year 2024, the newest we have parsed for this organization.