irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $827KFAMILY OPPORTUNITY CENTERS - FAMILY CENTERS THAT AIM TO STRENGTHEN CAREGIVER/CHILD BONDS AND IMPROVE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PLAY, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND EARLY LITERACY SKILLS. VARIOUS PROGRAMMING IS PROVIDED TO GIVE FAMILIES TOOLS AND STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS A VARIETY OF PARENTING CHALLENGES, REDUCE STRESS, AND INCREASE COMMUNICATION SKILLS. LIMITED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS PROVIDED TO ENSURE FAMILIES ARE ABLE TO MEET BASIC NEEDS. FAMILY PARTNERS SUPPORT FAMILIES BY LINKING THEM TO ANY ADDITIONAL SERVICES THAT BENEFIT CHILDREN AND FAMILY HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.
- #2 $274KFAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION - FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION IS A PROGRAM TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH THE ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH-BASED FAMILY ENGAGEMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR PARENTS. PHASES INCLUDE ASSESSMENT, PLANNING, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A WIDE-RANGE OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR BOTH THE DISTRICT AND SCHOOL LEVELS. IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDES PARENT TRAINING,CAPACITY BUILDING FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS AND ADDRESSES ONGOING PARENT NEEDS RELATED TO STUDENT ACADEMIC CHALLENGES, PROBLEM BEHAVIORS, AND ATTENDANCE THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR. CONSULTATION INCLUDES FAMILY ENGAGEMENT STEERING COMMITTEES, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAMS AND SHARED DECISION MAKING GROUPS.
named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Families in Transition (FIT)
Parenting support program for caregivers facing personal or systemic challenges, offering structured group sessions focused on confidence-building, communication, and positive parenting skills to prevent child abuse and neglect.
Family Engagement in Education
Initiative supporting schools and districts to build effective, culturally competent family engagement strategies, including training for parents, teachers, and administrators.
Ready, Set, Parent!
Research-informed parenting program for caregivers of infants, focusing on social-emotional development, parental confidence, and early brain development through interactive sessions and expert talks.
Storytime
Family literacy program combining storytelling, STEM activities, art, movement, and imaginative play to promote oral language, pre-reading skills, and family bonding in a community setting.
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Parenting Education and Support Programs 5 activities
- Delivering the Ready, Set, Parent! parenting programOperates Ready, Set, Parent!, a national award-winning 10-session parenting curriculum focused on infant social-emotional health and development, covering child development, parental self-awareness, communication, and advocacy. The program includes Doctor Talks on infant sleep, nutrition, safety, and illnesses, along with a Newborn Parent Panel and community resource events.
- Implementing youth and caregiver development programs for African American familiesConducts structured group sessions for African American youth aged 10–14 and their caregivers to promote positive youth development, family relationships, and resilience through culturally relevant programming.
- Operating parenting and family support programsOffers over 50 programs and events annually, including structured group sessions for parents facing personal challenges or referred by courts and community agencies, with services such as the Families in Transition program that helps parents retain or regain custody and build parenting skills. Programs are delivered through multi-session formats (e.g., 7 three-hour or 12 one-and-a-half-hour sessions) and include evidence-based curricula like Incredible Years Parents & Babies and Preschool Basic.
- Running Family Opportunity CentersOperates Family Opportunity Centers that strengthen caregiver-child bonds through play, family engagement, and early literacy programming; provides tools to address parenting challenges, reduce stress, improve communication, and offers limited financial assistance and referrals to support child and family well-being.
- Supporting pregnant and parenting teensDelivers the Just for Teens program, a supportive space offering 24 workshops across four core areas—Fundamental Parenting Skills, Bonding With Your Child, Relationships, and Personal Well-being—to help pregnant and parenting teenagers develop parenting skills and share experiences.
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Family-School Engagement Programs 1 activity
- Building capacity in family engagement in educationRuns the Family Engagement in Education program to improve student achievement by advancing research-based policies and practices, including assessment, planning, and implementation of strategies at district and school levels. Provides culturally competent training and capacity building for parents, teachers, and administrators to engage hard-to-reach families.
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Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs 1 activity
- Conducting character and literacy development for childrenProvides a character development curriculum for children in pre-k through 8th grade that reinforces ethical values, academic success, and bullying prevention. Also operates Storytime and Ready, Set, Read, family literacy programs for children birth to age eight using interactive, multi-sensory activities—including reading aloud, STEM, art, movement, and imaginative play—to promote family reading and learning at home.
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Community Service and Charitable Outreach 1 activity
- Dedicating volunteer and service hours to familiesDedicates over 10,000 hours annually to serving families through its programs and services.
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Youth Development and Support Services 1 activity
- Offering youth development programs for teens and preteensOperates the Just For Me program, which delivers structured classes incorporating participant input to address teen and preteen needs in mental health, communication, career planning, financial literacy, sexual health education, conflict resolution, online safety, and self-empowerment.
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Child Safety Seat and Safe Sleep Support 1 activity
- Providing car seat safety services and equipmentOperates a Car Seat Safety program that conducts workshops teaching families proper installation, checking, and maintenance of car seats, and provides a new car seat to families in need upon completion of the program.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Conducting research on parenting program outcomesPartnered with the University of Buffalo’s School of Social Work on a 4-year research study demonstrating improved parent-child interaction, parental confidence, and child developmental outcomes among participants. Findings show children of participants scored above the national mean on standardized assessments approximately 77.5% of the time.
- Maintaining service offices in multiple countiesOperates a main office in Buffalo (Erie County, NY), an office in Lockport (Niagara County, NY), and an office in Monticello (Sullivan County, NY) to deliver regional services.
- Partnering with organizations to support children and familiesCollaborates with the Buffalo Museum of Science to support children's programs; partners with Tops Markets to distribute food and essential items; receives in-kind donations of food from Wegmans and toys/educational materials from Fisher-Price to support children and family nutrition and programming.
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financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$2.42M
Contributions & grants$1.85M76%
Program service revenue$582K24%
Investment income$18K1%
Other revenue$-29K
expenses
Total expenses$2.57M
Program expenses83%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$1.85M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.53M
Cash$270K
Investments$600K
Liabilities$327K
Net assets$1.21M
Liquid reserves4.0 mo
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +11.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| TARA N BURGESS | CHIEF EX. OF | 40 | $121K |
board members · 13
- ADRIANNE MORTON — DIRECTOR
- ANNE BOTTICELLI — DIRECTOR
- BRIELYNN BELL — VICE - CHAIR
- COLLEEN REEDY — DIRECTOR
- CRAIG SPENCER — DIRECTOR
- HOPE HAWKINS — DIRECTOR
- MARINO MANOCCHIO — TREASURER
- MELISSA SPIKES-ARCHER — DIRECTOR
- NINA HEARD — DIRECTOR
- SAMUEL COSTA — BOARD CHAIR
- SEAN KEENAN — SECRETARY
- SUSAN BUTLER — DIRECTOR
- SUSANNA SCHENK — DIRECTOR
relationships · 34
Who they work with
- Amina Partner — Participant in the car seat program who shared her experience.
- Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Partner — Collaborates on literacy and family engagement initiatives.
- Buffalo Museum of Science Partner — Collaborates on educational programming for children.
- Canalside Partner — Community partner in EPIC's Storytime program.
- Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Funder — Receives grant funding to support children's programs.
- Consumer Credit Counseling Service Partner — Partners with Consumer Credit Counseling Service to offer a credit workshop as part of the Just For Me program for teens and preteens.
- Deaf Access Services Partner — Community partner in EPIC's Storytime program.
- Explore & More Partner — Community partner in EPIC's Storytime program.
- Explore & More Children’s Museum Partner — Collaborates on early childhood education and family engagement activities.
- Fisher-Price Partner — Supplies toys and educational materials through in-kind donations.
- Josephine Goodyear Foundation Partner — Partner in the Car Seat Safety program.
- Josephine Goodyear Foundation Partner — Partner organization supporting the Families in Transition program.
- Josephine Goodyear Foundation Partner — Partner organization supporting the Just for Teens program.
- Justin Partner — Participant in the Just For Me program who shared his experience.
- Kelly for Kids Foundation Partner — Partner in the Car Seat Safety program.
- Lekya Partner — Facilitator in the Just For Me program who shared her perspective.
- Lexi Partner — Participant in the Just For Teens program who shared her experience.
- Maria Partner — Participant and attendee of the Baby Expo program who shared her experience.
- Monica Richardson Partner — Director of Family Services at EPIC, leading family service initiatives since 2022
- OASAS Government — Government partner supporting the program, as indicated by logo inclusion.
- Parent Network of WNY Partner — Community partner in EPIC's Storytime program.
- Parent Network of WNY Partner — Partners on family support and parent advocacy initiatives.
- SUNY ATTAIN Partner — Collaborates with SUNY ATTAIN to deliver career planning workshops, including resume building and interview skills, within the Just For Me program.
- Shatika Partner — Participant in the car seat program who shared her experience.
- State Farm Partner — Partner in the Car Seat Safety program.
- The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Partner — Community partner in EPIC's Storytime program.
- The Buffalo Museum of Science Partner — Hosts and collaborates on EPIC Storytime events, including readings by community figures.
- The YMCA of Buffalo/Niagara Partner — Community partner in EPIC's Storytime program.
- Tops Markets Partner — Partners to distribute food and essential items to families in need.
- United Way of Buffalo & Erie County Funder — Receives funding support through United Way allocations.
+ 4 more
strategies · 5
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.
- Community as Village Modelmethodology: community_village_modelBy uniting families, schools, and communities in shared responsibility for child development, we prevent child abuse and neglect because collective ownership strengthens child wellbeing and caregiver resilience.
- Evidence-Based Early Parenting Interventionmethodology: evidence-based early interventionBy equipping caregivers with skills during infancy through evidence-based education, we build children’s emotional and social competence early and prevent future behavioral issues because structured, developmentally-tailored support improves parenting practices and child outcomes.
- Identity-Integrated Peer and Youth-Led Supportmethodology: identity-integrated supportBy affirming the dual identities of teen parents and creating youth-led platforms for expression and leadership, we increase engagement and counteract stigma because nonjudgmental, participant-driven environments foster belonging and personal agency.
- Integrated Literacy with Social-Emotional Learningmethodology: integrated life-lessons literacyBy combining literacy development with life lessons and whole-family engagement, we promote cognitive and emotional growth because integrating learning across domains reinforces both academic and social development in contextually meaningful ways.
- Strengths-Based, Culturally Grounded Family Interventionmethodology: culturally_strengths-based_family_interventionBy leveraging African American family resilience and racial pride through culturally competent engagement, we reduce youth risky behaviors and support healthy development because identity-affirming, strengths-based approaches increase receptivity and sustained participation.