Challenge Unlimited
Healing with Horsepower
Challenge Unlimited
EIN: 22-2478997
as of November 2025
as of November 14, 2025
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Therapeutic Riding
Therapeutic riding uses horseback riding activities for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being of people with disabilities. Clients are placed with licensed horseback riding instructors to work on goals that develop self-confidence, physical strength, and independent skills that carry over to their everyday lives. In addition to the individual client, we offer weekly group lessons for schools and adult daycare centers for people with disabilities. Group lessons can help riders develop relationships and form social bonds with their peers while encouraging teamwork and support among riders.
Hippotherapy
Medically-based physical and occupational services that use the movement of the horse to encourage strengthened trunk control, improved balance, flexibility, and muscle tone. Along with other therapy tools and strategies, hippotherapy can help to achieve the client's therapy goals and promote functional outcomes in a fun, nonclinical setting. Clients may be referred by their physician or directly from their Early Intervention Center.
Equine-Assisted Programs (EAP)
Our Equine-Assisted Programs focus on discovering the powerful relationship between horses and humans. Our programs can help build a renewed sense of self, increase confidence, and overcome fears and insecurities. Ironstone Farm offers these retreat-based programs to a myriad of clientele including veterans and first responders with PTSD, families and individuals impacted by cancer, youth-at-risk, seniors with dementia, people in recovery, and more.
Where we work
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Essex County, MA
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Hillsborough County, NH
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Middlesex County, MA
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Rockingham County, NH
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Suffolk County, MA
Awards
Hall of Fame 2002
Massachusetts Special Olympics
Achievement Award 2010
Boy Scouts of America
Affiliations & memberships
Chamber of Commerce 2011
Association of Fundraising Professionals - Member 2010
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of veterans with PTSD served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Equine-Assisted Programs (EAP)
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Across all programs
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planHow we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
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Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2023 info
1.04
Months of cash in 2023 info
11.6
Fringe rate in 2023 info
11%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Challenge Unlimited
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
This snapshot of Challenge Unlimited’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $672,549 | $299,670 | $390,380 | $75,556 | $410,543 |
| As % of expenses | 49.1% | 25.5% | 32.5% | 4.9% | 25.0% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $549,739 | $175,942 | $268,118 | -$50,062 | $289,520 |
| As % of expenses | 36.8% | 13.6% | 20.3% | -3.0% | 16.4% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $1,826,190 | $1,209,676 | $1,394,583 | $1,813,034 | $2,021,508 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 0.6% | -33.8% | 15.3% | 30.0% | 11.5% |
| Program services revenue | 48.1% | 33.8% | 42.2% | 41.8% | 42.5% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.4% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 52.0% | 66.5% | 57.8% | 57.8% | 46.3% |
| Other revenue | -0.2% | -1.2% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 9.8% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $1,369,329 | $1,173,158 | $1,201,555 | $1,556,354 | $1,643,661 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 8.9% | -14.3% | 2.4% | 29.5% | 5.6% |
| Personnel | 62.2% | 63.6% | 65.7% | 59.4% | 61.0% |
| Professional fees | 3.1% | 2.3% | 2.9% | 1.8% | 6.0% |
| Occupancy | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Interest | 4.5% | 4.4% | 3.7% | 2.7% | 3.3% |
| Pass-through | 3.5% | 0.9% | 2.0% | 5.1% | 3.3% |
| All other expenses | 26.7% | 28.8% | 25.7% | 31.0% | 26.4% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $1,492,139 | $1,296,886 | $1,323,817 | $1,681,972 | $1,764,684 |
| One month of savings | $114,111 | $97,763 | $100,130 | $129,696 | $136,972 |
| Debt principal payment | $406,038 | $199,233 | $6,533 | $0 | $71,801 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $334,209 | $766,979 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $2,012,288 | $1,593,882 | $1,764,689 | $2,578,647 | $1,973,457 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 11.6 |
| Months of cash and investments | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 11.7 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 0.2 | 9.5 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $415,241 | $305,146 | $336,401 | $483,363 | $1,584,074 |
| Investments | $3,841 | $5,049 | $8,375 | $6,253 | $13,314 |
| Receivables | $157,084 | $74,495 | $66,339 | $23,167 | $34,825 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $5,951,329 | $5,929,561 | $6,258,020 | $6,995,713 | $5,756,301 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 22.1% | 24.1% | 24.7% | 23.5% | 25.2% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 28.8% | 28.6% | 23.2% | 26.9% | 25.5% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $3,482,941 | $3,658,883 | $3,927,001 | $3,876,939 | $4,166,459 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $415,175 | $160,952 | $297,683 | $465,833 | $414,506 |
| Total net assets | $3,898,116 | $3,819,835 | $4,224,684 | $4,342,772 | $4,580,965 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Kerri Whalen
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Challenge Unlimited
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Challenge Unlimited
Board of directorsas of 07/01/2024
Board of directors data
Nancy Greeley
Ernest Coutermarsh
Paul Salafia
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Ralph Acaba
Vicky Bernard
Robin Gorski-Routhier
Robin A. Gorski CPA, MST
Brendan Hamm
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Joseph Lussier
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Dipti Shah
Carewell Physical Therapy Clinic
Diane Tower
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Justin Bishop
Linda Byers
DiPietro Group Real Estate
Nancy Greeley
Rebecca Kahler-Reis
Sharon Mason
Chris Vaccaro
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Professional fundraisers
Fiscal year endingSOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G