Families Rising
To amplify the voices of those with lived experience, support adoptive, foster, and kinship families, educate child welfare professionals, and champion the well-being of children and families. Whether you are seeking guidance or working to drive change, we are here to walk alongside you in your adoption, foster care, and kinship care journey.we are driven by a deep commitment to ensuring every child in foster care has the opportunity to grow up in a loving family. We believe in the power of family, the importance of identity, and the role of supportive communities in creating lasting change. We prioritize keeping children connected to their families whenever possible and support adoption when reunification is not an option. We are equally committed to helping children develop a strong sense of cultural and personal identity, including affirming lgbtq children and families, while building community and advocating for policies that strengthen and sustain families.
Families Rising at a glance
In short: Families Rising gave $3.6M across 3 grants in 2025 (avg $1.2M), mostly in Kentucky. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,605,745
- +190.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 3
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,201,915
- +190.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $702,782
- Total assets
- $2,002,218
- +29.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Kentucky (61% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who Families Rising funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 3 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Louisville Research Foundation ($2.2M). Together the top 3 received $3.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
6 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $500K–1M range: 3 grants of 6 (50%).
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.2M (2024) to $3.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 3 grants totaling $3.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Louisville Research Foundation Louisville, KY | Cwel Funding | $2,211,221 |
| Public Research and Evaluation Services Novi, MI | Cwel Funding | $702,782 |
| Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Association Milburn, OK | Cwel Funding | $691,742 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,002,218 | $8,124,000 | $7,949,108 | $3,605,745 | 3 | $13,925 |
| 2024 | $1,545,672 | $5,683,811 | $5,462,350 | $1,239,503 | 3 | $708 |
| 2023 | $1,505,862 | $2,494,960 | $2,352,312 | — | — | $890 |
| 2022 | $1,310,464 | $2,170,596 | $1,975,778 | — | — | $307 |
| 2021 | $1,220,681 | $1,894,082 | $1,638,090 | — | — | $100 |
| 2020 | $997,074 | $1,774,231 | $1,619,939 | — | — | $1,757 |
| 2019 | $997,356 | $2,044,977 | $1,927,961 | — | — | $949 |
About Families Rising
Based on IRS filings
Families Rising is a public charity focused on Human Services, based in St. Paul, MN. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $2.0M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 3 grants totaling $3.6M. Net investment income was $14K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Families Rising is led by Ligia Cushman, CEO on every filing since 2023; 3 of 16 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ligia Cushman
CEO
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$158K (2023) → $200K (2025)
Denise Goodman
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jarel L. Skinner-Melendez
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Simmons
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mercedes Zahler
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stacey Ann Mason
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maximillian Lisembee
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kim Stevens
Director
President → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marlyn Wall
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mercedes O'Bryant-Gruzeski
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nathan Ross
COO
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$112K (2023) → $115K (2025)
Roni McKenna
CFO
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$23K (2023) → $158K (2025)
Jaeran Kim
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kim Grzybowski
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cathy Murphy
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ronya Faulkner
Treasurer
Director → Secretary, 2021
Secretary → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Kim Brown (2019–2023) — Vice President
- Former: Pat O'Brien (2019–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Trey Rabun (2023) — Director
- Former: Mary Boo (2019–2022) — Executive Director
- Former: Connie Bear King (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Tia Van Fleet (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Jarel Skinner - Melendez (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: John Ireland (2019–2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Rowena Fong (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Deborah Goodman (2019) — Vice President
- Former: Laura Eggertson (2019) — Vice President
- Former: Tia Vanfleet (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $200K, to Ligia Cushman (CEO). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Families Rising
How much does Families Rising give each year?
Families Rising gave $3.6M across 3 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 3 grants.
What is Families Rising's typical grant size?
Families Rising's median grant in 2025 was $702,782, and its average grant was $1,201,915, across 3 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Families Rising give grants?
Families Rising gives mostly in Kentucky: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were Michigan (19%) and Oklahoma (19%).
Does Families Rising give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 3 grants with a stated purpose on Families Rising's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Cwel Funding" (3 grants).
How large is Families Rising?
Families Rising reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $8.1M.
What is Families Rising?
Families Rising is a public charity focused on Human Services, based in St. Paul, MN. It holds $2.0M in total assets as of 2025.
What is Families Rising's EIN?
Families Rising's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 51-0188951. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 4, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 13, 2020)
Live grants for the work Families Rising funds
Human Services Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Families Rising's focus areas in our free grants database
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