A Way Forward Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
852676751
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2022, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Longmont, CO, USA
Phone
7205267432
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alcohol, Drug and Substance Abuse, Dependency Prevention and Treatment

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$286,064
Expenses
$334,686
Assets
$59,841
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Debbie Platts (Executive Dir.): $40,334 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 organization's mission is to smash barriers to recovery and create more access to comprehensive, evidence-based services focused on substance use and mild to moderate mental health disorders while creating a community of belonging and healing in the st. Vrain valley. A way forward (awf) is a community recovery center offering evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders with structured classes, including an intensive outpatient program, a variety of recovery support groups and individual peer support.

What it reported doing in 2024

During 2024, the organization provided services for 650 individuals. Client contacts totaled 14,839, a 33% increase over 2023. In 2024, awf received funding for and were able to strengthen services to veterans, the spanish speaking community, youth and the newly housed. Services included: a newly funded 12-week intensive outpatient program, running concurrently with a variety of other groups; classes and evidence based services to support many paths to recovery and a healthier lifestyle. The organization offers group classes as well as individual peer support 7 days a week. All services are offered at no charge.service recipients self-reported the following: 97% feel their life is more stable, 100% reported feeling more hopeful, 97% benefited from group support and 100% benefited from the sense of community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.3%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 78.9%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -17%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.18; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.1%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 88.3% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 35.2% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 26% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92.3% of revenue deployed · 78.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $264K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $40K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 19 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 10/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.