Forward Action Fund

Overview

Mission

The forward action fund is organized for the promotion of social welfare including but not limited to economic, gender, climate, racial, health and social justice by: 1) advocating for legislation, regulations, and government programs related to policies that deliver concrete outcomes for people in this country; 2) educating the public about the importance of these issues; 3) conducting research about and publicizing the positions of elected officials concerning these issues; and 4) encouraging the public to make their voices heard by contacting elected officials, casting their ballots in elections, and engaging in civic life.

What it reported doing in 2024

Forward action fund provides grants to select, eligible domestic organizations for purposes that align with its mission. Grantmaking is focused on organizations that are building support for family friendly economic policies and local community building efforts.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 79% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 63% for direct work, and 37% for grants.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
831806898
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Concord, NH, USA
Phone
6035739661
Rating
94
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Research Institutes and Public Policy Analysis

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: 94
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95.3%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 94.4%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: $300.23 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -0.9%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.06; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 40% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 39.3% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 34% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 95.3% of revenue deployed · 94.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $68.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $33.7M reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 6 annual filings from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 20 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 17 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

5 people listed

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.