A Connected Planet

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
455473281
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Falls Church, VA, USA
Phone
7037901911
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Management & Technical Assistance

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,181,230
Expenses
$1,112,229
Assets
$175,072
Liabilities
$72,579

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • GREG HEARNE (BOARD MEMBER): $334,128 total reported compensation
  • DAVID RYAN (EMPLOYEE): $171,300 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTOPHER GAINES (EMPLOYEE): $165,769 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of a connected planet (acp) is to provide telecommunications and technical assistance to enable information sharing and to improve the education & healthcare services provided to children in the developing world.

What it reported doing in 2024

This year, acp launched a new initiative aimed at enhancing early childhood learning and literacy within the united states, marking a shift from our previous focus on international programs. Our objective is to establish a fund that contributes to existing, successful initiatives. Throughout this year, we provided financial backing to five distinct programs. For instance, acp supported mcintosh middle school in sarasota, fl, by donating to their annual fall festival for reading. The funding was used to acquire fair supplies, and we also donated 300 "trading" tickets to commend deserving sixth graders for their reading achievements both in and out of the classroom. Proceeds from the festival were allocated to purchasing prizes, encouraging middle school students to continue engaging with the i-ready reading program, which fosters foundational literacy skills. The results were impressive, with teachers reporting an 11% increase in literacy during that quarter. Additionally, acp contributed to the rise foundation inc. For their goal card program, which helps children in low-income neighborhoods of memphis, tn, improve their academics, attendance, and behavior through an incentive-based approach. This program also equips participants with financial education and essential life skills. We also donated to the montessori global growth fund for their train a teacher, equip a classroom, teach a child initiative. They support grassroots, community-driven education efforts in under-resourced areas both in the u.s. And globally by providing small grants for teacher training, classroom materials, and vital infrastructure projects, including sanitation facilities. Moreover, acp donated to comfort cases, which offers scholarships to youth in or aging out of foster care; to the st. Petersburg catholic diocese for providing books to the children of migrant workers; and to the breakthrough leadership foundation for their ascent boot camp, which empowers youth from high-crime communities with essential digital literacy skills, focusing on digital collaboration, design, and basic web development.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 96% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 66
  • Accountability: 58
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.9%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 85.1%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.8%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.16; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.41; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 74%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 78.9% of revenue deployed · 85.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $947K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $334K · 8 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 7/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 52/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.