Crisis Text Line
Provides free, 24/7 mental health support by text message.
At a glance
Rating and filings checked Oct 13, 2026. Sources: Charity Navigator, IRS Form 990 via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. How we check
Is Crisis Text Line a good charity?
Crisis Text Line holds Charity Navigator's highest rating: 4 out of 4 stars, with an overall score of 99%. Its 2023 Form 990 reports $32.3M in revenue, up 82% from $17.7M in 2019, and $35.6M in expenses. Rating checked Oct 13, 2026.
Finances
From Crisis Text Line's annual IRS Form 990 filings (filed as Crisis Text Line Inc).
| Year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Officer & key staff pay | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $32.3M | $35.6M | $15.6M | $1.3M | 990 PDF |
| 2022 | $15.5M | $34.7M | $18.9M | $971K | |
| 2021 | $9.9M | $31.8M | $40.4M | $1.3M | 990 PDF |
| 2020 | $49.6M | $25.1M | $62.4M | $640K | |
| 2019 | $17.7M | $15.5M | $38.1M | $1.6M | 990 PDF |
A newer filing for 2024 is out but not yet summarized: read the 2024 Form 990 (PDF).
Officer & key staff pay is the 990's total for current officers, directors, trustees and key employees, not one salary.
What charities in mental health do
Mental-health nonprofits operate across crisis intervention, direct treatment, research, advocacy, and public-awareness campaigns. Crisis lines (text and phone) provide immediate suicide-prevention and emotional support. Treatment-focused organizations offer therapy on sliding-scale fees, expand access to psychiatric care, and integrate mental-health services into primary care. Advocacy groups work on parity laws, insurance coverage, and reducing stigma. Funding supports clinicians, crisis-counselor training, research, and policy work.
How to judge charities in this area
For crisis lines, look at response time, training rigor, and outcome data on caller follow-up. For treatment-focused organizations, examine evidence-based therapy modalities used, average wait times, and patient outcomes (where reported). Mental Health America and The Trevor Project publish outcome data — use that as a benchmark when evaluating others.
How to support beyond a one-time gift
- + Recurring monthly gifts particularly help crisis lines maintain staffing predictability
- + Volunteer as a crisis counselor (most organizations offer extensive training)
- + Advocate for mental-health parity in insurance laws at the state level
- + Share resources publicly — destigmatization is itself a major intervention
- + Donate to research-focused organizations to accelerate the next generation of treatments
Verify before you give
A few minutes of independent verification pays off — especially for larger gifts. These resources let you confirm the details on Crisis Text Line:
Frequently asked
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