Alternatives for Community and Environment Inc

Overview

Mission

Ace builds the power of communities of color and low-income communities in Massachusetts to eradicate environmental racism and classism, create healthy, sustainable communities, and achieve environmental justice.

What it reported doing in 2024

Climate integration - ace has developed a framework for local action to address climate resilience in housing. This framework integrates sustainability, resilience, and environmental justice principles. The key challenges include climate hazards (rising temperatures, flooding, and severe storms) that threaten housing stability and affordability. The housing sector itself contributes to climate change through residential energy use and low-density land use patterns.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 48% for direct work, and 52% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043228509
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Roxbury, MA, USA
Phone
6174423343
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community Coalitions

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 73
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.8%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 84.6%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $22.26 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99%; rating input score 99; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -10.7%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.47; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 31.5% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 24.5% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 31% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93.8% of revenue deployed · 84.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $3.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $172K · 6 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $282K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 annual filings from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 14 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 11 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.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • DWAIGN TYNDAL (CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $171,782 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.