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FAMILIES IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE INC
ALBANY, NY · EIN 141755079 · Form 990EZ · FY2025 · NTEE K30 · Food, Agriculture & Nutrition · Small ($100K-$1M) · familiesinneedofassistance.org
revenue
$122K
expenses
$131K
net assets
$66K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

ASSISTING NEEDY FAMILIES

profile · synthesized from sources

Families in Need of Assistance Inc. (FINA) is a nonprofit organization based in Albany, NY, that provides comprehensive advocacy and referral services to individuals and families facing medical, legal, and social crises. The organization supports vulnerable populations including the elderly, domestic violence survivors, and those battling serious illnesses by navigating healthcare systems, securing legal representation, and accessing essential resources. FINA operates a 24-hour service model and extends support across the United States and internationally in select cases.

named programs · 9 · from sources

What they call their work

Advocacy for Patients
Guides patients through the healthcare system, including help with screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up; facilitates communication with providers, insurance companies, and employers.
Advocacy in the Courts
Provides legal advocacy to advance social change by supporting disadvantaged groups through the judicial system.
Advocating for the Elderly
Provides food, medical advocacy, insurance communication support, and protection against scams for elderly clients.
COVID Response
Coordinates testing, vaccination, medical appointments, transportation, grocery and drugstore deliveries, and holiday dinner distribution for clients affected by the pandemic.
Day of Beauty
Provides self-image and confidence-building services such as wigs, makeup, and job interview preparation for cancer patients and domestic violence survivors.
Divorce Mediation
Offers mediation services for separating couples to help them create mutually agreeable legal settlements without adversarial court proceedings.
Domestic Violence Services
Offers support and advocacy to victims of domestic violence, including legal guidance and access to shelter and counseling.
Referral Services
Connects clients with top medical and legal professionals, helps obtain second opinions, resolves insurance and transportation issues, and supports end-of-life planning.
Teen Services
Supports youth dealing with addiction, bullying, and teen violence through group discussions, seminars, and focus groups.
activities · 9 groups

What they do

  • Patient and Family Support Services 3 activities
    • End-of-life and hospice advocacy
      Acts as on-the-ground advocates for families with terminally ill members, securing second opinions, hiring nurses, arranging hospice care, facilitating home-based medical services, and providing emotional and logistical support.
    • Health insurance and benefits advocacy
      Advocates for clients navigating health insurance benefits and coverage changes, including securing reinstatement of coverage, resolving co-pay issues, and facilitating access to medical care and specialists.
    • Medical and patient advocacy services
      Provides patient advocacy services to guide individuals through healthcare processes including screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up for serious medical conditions such as cancer and stroke, including assistance with appointments, medical record coordination, insurance authorization, and access to specialists.
  • Domestic Violence Survivor Support Services 2 activities
    • Day of Beauty program
      Operates a Day of Beauty program that supports clients with cancer and domestic violence survivors through self-image services including job interview preparation and wig selection.
    • Domestic violence victim support and advocacy
      Provides comprehensive advocacy and support services for domestic violence survivors, including legal referrals, court navigation, shelter and counseling access, eviction intervention, and emotional and practical support for survivors and their children.
  • Intake and Referral Coordination 1 activity
    • 24-hour resource and referral service
      Operates a 24-hour resource and referral service for underserved populations, assisting clients in navigating legal and medical systems, obtaining insurance benefits, securing second opinions, resolving travel and lodging needs for treatment, and addressing end-of-life concerns.
  • Organizational Governance & Leadership Development 1 activity
    • Board leadership and organizational governance
      Serves on the Board of Directors of external organizations including the Women's Building, Mediation Matters, and the Albany Academies to support organizational capacity and governance.
  • Conflict Mediation & Resolution Services 1 activity
    • Divorce mediation services
      Offers divorce mediation services using in-person or phone-based sessions to help separating couples create mutually agreeable arrangements, particularly around child welfare, reducing emotional and financial strain.
  • Senior Independence Support Services 1 activity
    • Elderly client support services
      Provides advocacy and support services for elderly clients including assistance with health insurance, medical provider communication, food provision, access to home health care, visitation support, and emergency medical intervention.
  • Community-Based Pandemic Testing and Vaccination 1 activity
    • Emergency and crisis response services
      Implements emergency response programs including coordination of testing, vaccination, medical appointments, transportation, and delivery of groceries and medications during public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as urgent interventions for stroke, cancer, and substance use crises.
  • Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
    • Food and essential needs assistance
      Provides food assistance including grocery and medication delivery, holiday meal distribution, and access to home health care services, particularly for elderly individuals, Holocaust survivors, and families in crisis.
  • Youth Development and Support Services 1 activity
    • Teen and youth support services
      Offers services for teens and young adults focused on addressing addiction, bullying, and teen violence through group discussions, seminars, and focus groups, including support for educational attainment and recovery.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$122K
Contributions & grants$122K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$131K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$86K
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$66K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$66K
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue -10.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
CYNTHIA URBACH Executive Dir. 40 $80K
board members · 6
  • CARON O'BRIAN CRUMMEY — Director
  • DAVID CARDONA — Director
  • MARGARET HOLIBRITTER — Director
  • PATRICIA BEELER — Director
  • STEPHEN BUCKLEY — Director
  • WHITNEY MALONE — Director
relationships · 10

Who they work with

  • Albany Academies Partner — Board member affiliation indicating organizational partnership or collaboration.
  • Albany Medical Center Partner — Transported patients and coordinated with stroke and neurology teams at Albany Medical Center during medical emergencies.
  • Cynthia Urbach Government — Executive Director of FINA who interfaced with courts, judges, jails, and lawyers to secure rehabilitation placement for a granddaughter.
  • Hospital for Special Surgery Partner — Secured medical appointments for clients at Hospital for Special Surgery for specialized orthopedic care.
  • MD Anderson Partner — Obtained specialist appointments at MD Anderson Cancer Center for pediatric cancer patients.
  • Mediation Matters Partner — Board member affiliation indicating organizational partnership or collaboration.
  • O’Connell and Aronowitz PC Partner — Law firm that incorporated FINA in 1993.
  • The Legal Project Partner — Referred domestic abuse survivor to The Legal Project for legal assistance and ongoing counsel.
  • UHY LLP Partner — Assisted FINA in obtaining its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
  • Women's Building Partner — Board member affiliation indicating organizational partnership or collaboration.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Direct Advocacy to Ensure Continuity of Medical Care
    methodology: healthcare_advocacy
    By intervening directly with insurance and healthcare providers during medical crises, the organization ensures uninterrupted access to critical treatments, because timely advocacy removes systemic barriers that vulnerable patients cannot navigate alone.
  • Legal Advocacy for Systemic Social Change
    methodology: legal_advocacy_for_social_change
    By bringing strategic legal cases on behalf of disadvantaged groups, the organization advances social change because litigation can establish legal precedents that improve conditions for entire communities and drive systemic reform.
  • Legal Support Paired with Education for Survivor Empowerment
    methodology: educational_empowerment_through_legal_support
    By combining legal system navigation with educational empowerment, the organization promotes long-term independence among domestic violence survivors, because building knowledge and self-advocacy skills enables sustained self-sufficiency beyond immediate crisis intervention.
  • Mediation to Foster Collaborative Co-Parenting
    methodology: collaborative_mediation
    By using mediation to help separating couples create their own agreements, the organization reduces adversarial dynamics and improves compliance, because collaborative decision-making builds shared understanding and sets a constructive precedent for future communication.