Give.org logo
Support Give.org
Support Give.org
CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: April 2026 Expires: April 2028

Horizons, A Family Services Alliance

Standards Not Met
Standards Not Met
6
(877) 653-3123
819 5th Street Southeast, Post Office Box 667
Cedar Rapids, IA, 52406
http://horizonsfamily.org/
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Horizons, A Family Services Alliance does not meet the following 1 Standards for Charity Accountability:

Standard 6 (Board Policy on Effectiveness)
Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

Horizons does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors does not have a written policy stating that, at least Every 2 Years, an appraisal be done assessing the organization’s performance and effectiveness and determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

Horizons, A Family Services Alliance meets the remaining 19 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to instill hope, strengthen communities, and brighten futures by providing life-changing services to underserved populations."

Year, State Incorporated:
1979, IA

Horizons, A Family Services Alliance (Horizons) reports that it provides comprehensive, non-residential support designed to promote independence, improve financial and physical well-being, and strengthen social support systems among underserved individuals and families in Eastern Iowa. The organization states that its Meals on Wheels program home delivers hot lunches, frozen meals, and breakfast bags for older adults and person with disabilities, as well as for pets, five days a week for populations in Cedar Rapids, Johnson, and Washington counties. Horizons' Financial Wellness Center provides individual and group counseling in budgeting, debt management, credit repair, foreclosure prevention, and homebuyer education. The Center's services also include student loan counseling and post-purchase homeowner support, delivered both in-person and online. The organization's Neighborhood Transportation Service program offers curb-to-curb van rides during evenings and weekends, when fixed-route buses are unavailable, to enable residents in Linn and Johnson counties access to safe transportation to work, education, training, and appointments.

For the year ended June 29, 2024, Horizons, A Family Services Alliance's program expenses were:

Youth and senior meals $2,044,732
Neighborhood transportation service $1,376,719
Consumer credit counseling $285,105
Total Program Expenses $3,706,556

Chief Executive
Katie Oatsvall, President and Chief Executive Officer

Chair of the Board
Kelly Edmonds

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
President, Merit Construction Company

Board Size
17

Paid Staff Size
53

*2025 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Note 1: According to the organization, Ms. Oatsvall started her role as President and Chief Executive Officer in December 2024. Her compensation information is not available yet.

Note 2: In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, Mike Barnhart served as President and Chief Executive Officer and received $161,059 in compensation.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Radio, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Cause-related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.), Workplace Giving

Fundraising costs were 4% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $2,949,108, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Horizons, A Family Services Alliance's audited financial statements for the year ended June 29, 2024.

Source of Funds
Other grants $1,457,790
Program service fees $1,417,991
County and city support $755,005
Contributions $534,576
Investment return, net $211,288
United Way $196,929
Rent $87,254
Gain on sale of assets $8,500
In-kind contributions $4,808
Miscellaneous income $1,809
Total Income $4,675,950

Programs: 87% Fundraising: 3% Administrative: 10%

Total Income $4,675,950
Total expenses: $4,280,224
  Program expenses $3,706,556
  Fundraising expenses $128,472
  Administrative expenses $445,196
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $395,726
Beginning Net Assets $5,680,828
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $6,076,554
Total Liabilities $520,486
Total Assets $6,597,040

Note: According to Horizons' audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024, the organization received in-kind contributions totaling $4,808, in the form of donated food and advertising services.

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Serving Greater Iowa, Quad Cities, and Siouxland Region