Afar Inc Dba the Ability Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
263510832
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2009
Location
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone
4143739500
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,404,208
Expenses
$1,020,877
Assets
$5,165,796
Liabilities
$66,616

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAMIAN BUCHMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAMIAN BUCHMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $216,380 total reported compensation
  • NICOLE ANGRESANO (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (PART YEAR)): $77,958 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide those impacted by disabilities with a daily opportunity to be fit, active, and healthy, and to play.

What it reported doing in 2025

Adaptive programs: open gym and more. By partnering with community-based nonprofits, and parks & recreation departments, the ability center has been able to execute three community-based, inclusive programs that serve all abilities. 1) open gym provides an opportunity for people of all abilities to play together. 2) 3v3 community recreation wheelchair basketball league for everybody. 3) Wisconsin thunder is the ability center's wheelchair basketball team for men and women with physical disabilities ages 21 and over. From veterans to civilians, the Wisconsin thunder wheelchair basketball club competes in competitions primarily across the midwest.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 27
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 20.1%; rating input score 20
  • Program expense ratio: 43.8%; rating input score 44
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.11 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th 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: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • 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: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 57.5%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.06; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 28.8%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.1% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 24.6% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 20.1% of revenue deployed · 43.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $447K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $216K · 17 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 44/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.