THE FRIENDSHIP INITIATIVE INC
Cite this
Plain text THE FRIENDSHIP INITIATIVE INC. furp.org, nonprofit organization profile, tax years 2017–2024. https://furp.org/org/900719846. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
APA furp.org. (n.d.). THE FRIENDSHIP INITIATIVE INC [Nonprofit organization profile; tax years 2017–2024]. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://furp.org/org/900719846
MLA “THE FRIENDSHIP INITIATIVE INC.” furp.org, tax years 2017–2024, https://furp.org/org/900719846. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.
Retrieved 2026-10-21; covers tax years 2017–2024. Data: furp.org, CC BY 4.0.
2024 · Form 990EZ · revenue $100K · expenses $112K · assets $72K
- EIN
- 90-0719846
- Address
- 6574 N STATE ROAD 7 PMB 236, COCONUT CREEK, FL 33073-3625
- Website
- www.thefriendshipjourney.org
- NTEE code
- B28
- Subsection
- 501(c)(3)
- Ruling year
- 2013
- Cross-check
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Mission
The organizations mission is to unite individuals of all cognitive and developmental abilities through equitable opportunities and lasting friendships. We provide free inclusive enrichment programs, family respite and community education in our effort to enrich lives and create inclusive communities.
Each tax year counts once: when a return was amended, only the latest return for that period is used below (superseded returns stay listed, greyed, under Finances).
People paid by the organization
None of the 24 people listed on these returns reported compensation from the organization. They are listed below.
Officers and directors, no compensation reported
24 people listed on the returns with $0 (or no amount) in every compensation column: current people first. Hours are as filed on the latest return each person appears on.
| Name | Latest title | Years | Hrs/wk (latest) | Compensation | Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samantha Novick | President/Director | 2017-2024 | 20 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Paola Blanco | VP/Director | 2019-2024 | 5 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Karen Wilson | Treasurer/Director | 2017-2024 | 5 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Heather Weissman | VP/Director | 2019-2024 | 10 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Jason Novcik | Director | 2018-2024 | 5 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Gustavo Padrino | Director | 2022-2024 | 5 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Carole Zangari | Director | 2022-2024 | 5 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Silvia Gil | Director | 2023-2024 | 5 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Cherilyn Levy (former) | Director | 2019-2020 | 4 | $0 reported | 1 |
| David Levy (former) | Director | 2019-2020 | 4 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Jennifer Cooper (former) | Director | 2019-2020 | 4 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Kelli Yselonia (former) | Director | 2019 | 4 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Carolina Perez (former) | Director | 2019 | 4 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Smantha Novick (former) | President/Director | 2018 | 20 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Lisa Ferrara (former) | VP/Director | 2018 | 5 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Kelly Ysolonia (former) | Secretary/Director | 2017-2018 | 5 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Juan Velazquez (former) | Director | 2018 | 2 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Scott Brook (former) | Director | 2017-2018 | 2 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Howard Lewis (former) | Director | 2018 | 8 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Jeb Niewood (former) | President | 2017 | 42 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Jason Novick (former) | VP Director | 2017 | 3 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Juan Valazquez (former) | Director | 2017 | 2 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Eric Nach (former) | Director | 2017 | 1 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Ann Berg (former) | Director | 2017 | 1 | $0 reported | 1 |
People by year
2024 · 8 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samantha Novick | President/Director | 20 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Paola Blanco | VP/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Karen Wilson | Treasurer/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Heather Weissman | VP/Director | 10 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Jason Novcik | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Gustavo Padrino | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Carole Zangari | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Silvia Gil | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2023 · 8 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samantha Novick | President/Director | 20 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Paola Blanco | VP/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Karen Wilson | Treasurer/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Heather Weissman | VP/Director | 10 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Jason Novcik | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Gustavo Padrino | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Carole Zangari | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Silvia Gil | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2022 · 7 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samantha Novick | President/Director | 20 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Paola Blanco | VP/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Karen Wilson | Treasurer/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Heather Weissman | VP/Director | 10 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Jason Novcik | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Gustavo Padrino | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Carole Zangari | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2021 · 5 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samantha Novick | President/Director | 20 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Paola Blanco | VP/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Karen Wilson | Treasurer/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Heather Weissman | VP/Director | 10 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Jason Novcik | Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2020 · 8 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samantha Novick | President/Director | 20 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Paola Blanco | VP/Director | 12 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Karen Wilson | Treasurer/Director | 8 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Heather Weissman | VP/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Jason Novcik | Director | 10 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Cherilyn Levy | Director | 4 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| David Levy | Director | 4 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Jennifer Cooper | Director | 4 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2019 · 10 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samantha Novick | President/Director | 20 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Paola Blanco | VP/Director | 12 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Karen Wilson | Treasurer/Director | 8 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Heather Weissman | Secretary/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Jason Novcik | Director | 10 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Cherilyn Levy | Director | 4 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Kelli Yselonia | Director | 4 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| David Levy | Director | 4 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Carolina Perez | Director | 4 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Jennifer Cooper | Director | 4 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2018 · 8 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smantha Novick | President/Director | 20 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Lisa Ferrara | VP/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Karen Wilson | Treasurer/Director | 10 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Kelly Ysolonia | Secretary/Director | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Jason Novcik | Director | 10 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Juan Velazquez | Director | 2 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Scott Brook | Director | 2 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Howard Lewis | Director | 8 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2017 · 9 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEB NIEWOOD | President | 42 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| KELLY YSOLONIA | VP Director | 2 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| SAMANTHA NOVICK | VP Director | 7 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| JASON NOVICK | VP Director | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| JUAN VALAZQUEZ | Director | 2 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| ERIC NACH | Director | 1 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| SCOTT BROOK | Director | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| ANN BERG | Director | 1 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| KAREN WILSON | Treasurer | 5 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
Highest-paid independent contractors
No independent contractors reported.
Who gave
Contributor names are not public for this form type.
Public charities filing Form 990 or 990-EZ report large donors on Schedule B, but the IRS withholds their names and addresses from public copies. Private foundations (990-PF) are different: their contributors are public.
Finances
Newest first. Each filing: its name on one row, its figures on the row beneath. Greyed filings are superseded by a later return for the same period and are left out everywhere else on this page.
| Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Net assets | Contributions | Program revenue | Officer pay | Employees | Volunteers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $100,253 | $111,740 | $72,143 | $71,695 | $78,513 | $21,740 | - | - | - |
| 2023 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $78,795 | $105,421 | $83,442 | $83,182 | $87,604 | $0 | - | - | - |
| 2022 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $116,749 | $68,216 | $110,577 | $109,808 | $122,997 | $0 | - | - | - |
| 2021 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $42,627 | $42,620 | $70,964 | $61,275 | $46,239 | $0 | - | - | - |
| 2020 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $34,461 | $25,636 | $68,558 | $61,268 | $32,026 | $0 | - | - | - |
| 2019 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $40,919 | $37,429 | $53,628 | $52,443 | $42,758 | $0 | - | - | - |
| 2018 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $69,131 | $38,178 | $50,429 | $48,953 | $58,958 | $4,308 | - | - | - |
| 2017 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $25,947 | $11,228 | $21,381 | $18,000 | $23,885 | $3,645 | - | - | - |
Funders of this organization
4 grantors reported grants to this organization, $62,748 in all, tax years 2021 to 2024. Exact: the grantor wrote this organization's EIN. Fuzzy: the grantor wrote only a name (foundations' 990-PF has no EIN field), matched to the same or a near-identical name in the same state; the name as filed is shown. From the latest return for each grantor and year, so amended returns aren't counted twice. CSV
| Grantor | Type | Match | Years given | Grants | Total | Latest year | Latest year's amount | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF BROWARD INC | DAF sponsor | Exact | 2024 | 1 | $25,000 | 2024 | $25,000 | show |
| PALM HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION INC | DAF sponsor | Exact | 2021-2022 | 2 | $16,958 | 2022 | $10,000 | show |
| RODGER A GRAEF FOUNDATION | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “THE FRIENDSHIP INITIATIVE INC” | 2022 | 1 | $15,790 | 2022 | $15,790 | show |
| FRANK L WEYENBERG CHARITABLE TRUST | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “THE FRIENDSHIP INITIATIVE INC” | 2022 | 1 | $5,000 | 2022 | $5,000 | show |
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Who funds organizations like this
Grantors that funded the 100 most similar organizations. Ranked by total given to them. Foundations (990-PF) and donor-advised fund sponsors only. Same matching as Funders above (by EIN, or by name for foundations).
The full list · all similar organizations
Where the money went
Every expense line on each return, biggest first: Form 990 Part IX (with its program, management and fundraising columns), 990-EZ Part I, or 990-PF Part I. Event marks lines the organization itself describes as events. “Events” in each summary adds those lines, conferences and meetings, and the direct costs of fundraising events. Unusual is not the same as improper. Many of these patterns have ordinary explanations. Check the filing.
2024 · Form 990EZ · $111,740 spent · pay $20,813 · grants $4,000 · events $0
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $67,016 | 60.0% | |
| Salaries, other pay and benefits | $20,813 | 18.6% | |
| Fees to independent contractors | $19,244 | 17.2% | |
| Grants and similar amounts paid | $4,000 | 3.6% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $667 | 0.6% | |
| Total | $111,740 | 100% |
2023 · Form 990EZ · $105,421 spent · pay $2,577 · grants $4,000 · events $27,486
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $82,667 | 78.4% | |
| Fees to independent contractors | $15,645 | 14.8% | |
| Grants and similar amounts paid | $4,000 | 3.8% | |
| Salaries, other pay and benefits | $2,577 | 2.4% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $532 | 0.5% | |
| Fundraising events Event | direct expenses; gross income - | $27,486 | reported apart |
| Total | $105,421 | 100% |
2022 · Form 990EZ · $68,216 spent · pay $5,173 · grants $6,500 · events $21,830
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $45,539 | 66.8% | |
| Fees to independent contractors | $9,938 | 14.6% | |
| Grants and similar amounts paid | $6,500 | 9.5% | |
| Salaries, other pay and benefits | $5,173 | 7.6% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $1,066 | 1.6% | |
| Fundraising events Event | direct expenses; gross income - | $21,830 | reported apart |
| Total | $68,216 | 100% |
2021 · Form 990EZ · $42,620 spent · pay $2,180 · grants $10,000 · events $8,630
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $21,772 | 51.1% | |
| Grants and similar amounts paid | $10,000 | 23.5% | |
| Fees to independent contractors | $7,971 | 18.7% | |
| Salaries, other pay and benefits | $2,180 | 5.1% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $697 | 1.6% | |
| Fundraising events Event | direct expenses; gross income - | $8,630 | reported apart |
| Total | $42,620 | 100% |
2020 · Form 990EZ · $25,636 spent · pay $1,932 · grants $4,000 · events $3,690
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $13,564 | 52.9% | |
| Fees to independent contractors | $5,476 | 21.4% | |
| Grants and similar amounts paid | $4,000 | 15.6% | |
| Salaries, other pay and benefits | $1,932 | 7.5% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $664 | 2.6% | |
| Fundraising events Event | direct expenses; gross income - | $3,690 | reported apart |
| Total | $25,636 | 100% |
2019 · Form 990EZ · $37,429 spent · pay $2,228 · grants $7,000 · events $25,739
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $16,738 | 44.7% | |
| Fees to independent contractors | $9,802 | 26.2% | |
| Grants and similar amounts paid | $7,000 | 18.7% | |
| Salaries, other pay and benefits | $2,228 | 6.0% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $1,661 | 4.4% | |
| Fundraising events Event | direct expenses; gross income - | $25,739 | reported apart |
| Total | $37,429 | 100% |
2018 · Form 990EZ · $38,178 spent · pay $0 · grants $11,000 · events $41,031
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $15,785 | 41.3% | |
| Grants and similar amounts paid | $11,000 | 28.8% | |
| Fees to independent contractors | $9,444 | 24.7% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $1,949 | 5.1% | |
| Fundraising events Event | direct expenses; gross income - | $41,031 | reported apart |
| Total | $38,178 | 100% |
2017 · Form 990EZ · $11,228 spent · pay $0 · grants $0 · events $4,683
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $9,071 | 80.8% | |
| Occupancy, rent, utilities, maintenance | $1,600 | 14.3% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $557 | 5.0% | |
| Fundraising events Event | direct expenses; gross income - | $4,683 | reported apart |
| Total | $11,228 | 100% |