Advocates for Community Transformation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270178272
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2010
Location
Dallas, TX, USA
Phone
2149519151
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,700,294
Expenses
$4,558,251
Assets
$2,115,254
Liabilities
$783,429

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • J REID PORTER (PRESIDENT &)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARIA PACHECO (VP OF DFW IM): $165,250 total reported compensation
  • KIMBER HARTMAN (VP OF ADVANC): $153,118 total reported compensation
  • EVANGELINE HEPPENSTALL (KEY EMPLOYEE): $134,892 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Advocates for community transformation (act) equips underserved residents to fight crime on their streets using the justice system by working collaboratively with partners to make safety a reality for everyone.

What it reported doing in 2024

Advocates for community transformation (act) is a christian organization that exists to make stronger and safer neighborhoods a normal reality for everyone. Act carries out this vision through empowering residents living in high-crime areas to stop illegal activity on their street using the civil justice system. Founded on christian principles and a desire to see shalom ushered back to our neighborhoods, act uses civil law to shut down these houses that eat away at the fiber of once peaceful neighborhoods. Act's legal advocacy model is a private solution to the public problem these drug houses pose. Act uses existing civil laws to bring legal action against the owners of the drug houses seeking injunctive relief that forces the cessation of the illegal activity. In 15 years, act has shut down over 256 drug houses, impacting more than 39,000 of our neighbors who live within just 0.1 mile of the shuttered houses. This innovative approach disrupts this fight and provides a winning solution that brings neighbors, law enforcement, and pro bono attorneys together using existing civil law to tackle this entrenched problem that plagues every major city in the united states. Act's unique legal advocacy approach is a private solution to a public problem. Act's model takes existing laws - traditionally only utilized by municipalities - and puts the power of those laws into the hands of those closest to the problem, the residents. This collaborative, community-driven approach complements the work of the police and the city, resulting in tangible change that is long-lasting.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 13
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.8%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 63.1%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.24 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -23.2%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.6%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.8% of revenue deployed · 63.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $165K · 9 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $258K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.