HowardCenter Inc

Overview

Mission

Howard Center, Inc. helps people and communities thrive by providing supports and services to address mental health, substance use and developmental needs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Mental Health Substance Use and Developmental Services provide a variety of short-term to long-term support services, treatment and care management to individuals who are experiencing the effects of mental illness, substance use disorders, or developmental disabilities. Emotional, psychological, or behavioral distress may be present regardless of diagnosis, situational stress, or life circumstances. Services include care management, supportive counseling, outpatient treatment, psychiatric care, residential care, harm reduction, medication management, and employment support. Services are provided with the goal of successfully integrating individuals into the community, honoring self-determination, and meeting the care needs clients identify.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 88% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
030179433
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Headquarters
Burlington, VT, USA
Phone
8024886900
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Official website

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 68
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.7%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 90.3%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $33.55 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.3%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.38; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.45; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.7% of revenue deployed · 90.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $128.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $382K · 28 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $5M reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Simha Ravven (Chief Medical Officer): $382,065 total reported compensation
  • Robert Bick (Former Chief Executive Officer): $346,842 total reported compensation
  • Sandra McGuire (Chief Executive Officer): $320,272 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.