Structural Deficit
Structural Deficit
Structural Deficit Market Archetype Mechanical Natural
Tier
Priority Review
Trajectory Thumbprint

Structural Deficit

What does this mean?

Persistently low financial health over 5 years despite strong programmatic output. They are borrowing from their future (or bleeding an endowment) to pay for today's programs.

The Path Forward

The Truth-Teller

Forces necessary, painful cuts to preserve the core. It demands that the organization stop borrowing from its future and align its current programmatic output with actual sustainable revenue.

The Truth-Teller
The Truth-Teller
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: Structural Deficit
Overall
43
Score
Governance
58
Score
Financial
20
Score
Program
60
Score

Institutional Epochs

2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Financial Era
Governance Era
Trajectory Era
Structural Deficit

Historical Performance

Year Revenue Top Comp Comp % Rev Score Phase Label Outlook Details
2025 Hidden Hidden Unknown
2024 Hidden Hidden Unknown
2023 Hidden Hidden 4.7% 43 Fragile Decline Risk
2022 5.0% 44 Fragile Stable Watch
2021 6.0% 44 Fragile Recovery
2020 7.4% 36 Financially Distressed Recovery
2019 34 Critical Intervention Needed Recovery
2018 32 Critical Intervention Needed Stable Watch
2017 32 Critical Intervention Needed Stable Watch
2016 32 Critical Intervention Needed Stable Watch
2015 32 Critical Intervention Needed Stable Watch
2014 32 Critical Intervention Needed Stable Watch
2013 7.0% 34 Critical Intervention Needed Decline Risk
2012 6.0% 38 Financially Distressed Stable Watch

Officer compensation history

Tax year 2025

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
KAHRA BUSS Executive Director 5.3% of Rev
KAHRA BUSS Executive Director 4.7% of Rev
BRUCE SMITH Board President
JESSICA SANT Board President
SCOTT MERKLE Treasurer
BRENT THOMPSON Secretary
PROTIMA BANERJEE Board Member
HOPE HORWITZ Board Member
SHARON XIAOYUN HOU Board Member
CLAUDIA MASTROBUONO Board Member
KATY RESCH Board Member
MEGAN BALAREZO RICKBORN Board Member
LYDIA P SHECKELS Board Member
KEISHA TAYLOR Board Member
CHRISTIAN SAFFICI Board President
BRENT THOMPSON Board Member
BRUCE SMITH Board President
SCOTT MERKLE Treasurer
HOPE HOROWITZ Board Member
MATTHEW KANE LEFT 22024 Board Member
KEVIN KELLY LEFT 22024 Board Member
KATHRYN MYERS LEFT 22024 Board Member
JESSICA SANT Secretary
HALA SHAWAF BARSON Board Member
KEISHA TAYLOR Board Member
MEGAN BALAREZO Board Member
CARMINE VALENTINO Board Member
SHARON XIAOYUN HOU Board Member

Tax year 2023

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
KAHRA BUSS Executive Director 4.0% of Rev
MELISSA BLANTON Treasurer
MEGHAN CRNIC LEFT APR 22 Secretary
SHARLA FRANKO FLOYD Board Member
SHARON XIAOYUN HOU Board Member
MATTHEW KANE Board Member
CHRISTIAN SAFFICI Board President
CARMINE VALENTINO Board Member
MEGAN BALAREZO Board President
ALISON D MANNING Board Member
MUNIRA WELLS Board Member
KEVIN KELLY Board Member
SCOTT MERKLE Board Member
BRUCE SMITH Board Member
HALA SHAWAF BARSON Board Member
LISA STUART LEFT OCT 21 Board Member
PRISCILLA HOPKINS-SMITH LEFT NOV 21 Board Member
VEDRA CHANDLER LEFT OCT 21 Board Member

Tax year 2022

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
KAHRA BUSS Executive Director 4.1% of Rev
MELISSA BLANTON Treasurer
MEGHAN CRNIC Secretary
SHARLA FRANKO FLOYD Board Member
SHARON XIAOYUN HOU Board Member
MATTHEW KANE Board Member
CHRISTIAN SAFFICI Board President
CARMINE VALENTINO Board President
MEGAN BALAREZO Board Member
VEDRA CHANDLER Board Member
PRISCILLA HOPKINS-SMITH Board Member
ALISON D MANNING Board Member
LISA STUART Board Member
MUNIRA WELLS Board Member
ALISON S GRIFFIN Board Member
HOPE HORWITZ Board Member
Officer contact details, exact compensation figures, and active litigation are available to verified members.
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Score breakdown

Score breakdown

Financial resilience
20 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
58 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
60 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
43 / 100
Priority Review

The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →

Peer comparison

Fewer than 3 peers found in NJ for this NTEE subcategory; peer comparison would not be statistically meaningful.

5-year trend: Structural Deficit

Persistently low financial health over 5 years despite strong programmatic output. They are borrowing from their future (or bleeding an endowment) to pay for today's programs.

What's driving this score

What would change this score

The two changes that would most improve this score:

  1. Build cash reserves to at least 3 months of operating expenses — moves financial resilience score meaningfully (~10 points).

Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.