Alabama Possible

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
582074080
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2010
Location
Birmingham, AL, USA
Phone
2059391408
Rating
90
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$898,027
Expenses
$997,567
Assets
$216,039
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHANDRA SCOTT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHANDRA SCOTT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $130,557 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To partner with higher-education and faith-based organizations to strengthen awareness about poverty and its causes while advocating for fact-based policy decisions statewide.

What it reported doing in 2024

Alabama possible is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works towards breaking down barriers to prosperity through strategic partnerships with higher education institutions, community partners, policymakers, and faith-based organizations. Its research-driven work is designed to broaden relationships and enhance capacity building, with a focus on addressing systemic poverty. All alabamians can lead prosperous lives, and its programs work to make that possibility a reality. Alabama possible has changed the way people think and talk about poverty in Alabama since 1993. Auburn university president wilford bailey, auburn history professor emeritus wayne flynt, social work pioneer eulene hawkins, and Alabama baptist convention president earl potts founded Alabama possible in 1993 when they decided to join forces and take action against poverty in Alabama. Alabama possible removes barriers to prosperity through advocacy, education, and collaboration by implementing the following focus areas: postsecondary accessalabama possible's postsecondary access programs build educational equity across Alabama for under-resourced and first-generation college-going students and students of color. Through the Alabama goes to college campaign, Alabama high school graduates accessed more than $59 million in free pell grant aid to pay for education after high school, including technical and academic credentials.postsecondary successalabama possible promotes engaged learning that combines classroom instruction with thoughtful community and civic engagement. Alabama possible convenes the 20+ member higher education alliance, 65+ member Alabama college attainment network (alabamacan) and the nation's first historically black community college/predominately black community college network to identify innovative approaches to teaching and learning. It also promotes relationship-building between these partners through statewide professional development workshops/summits. Collaborationalabama possible facilitates virtual poverty simulations and a series of break it down community discussions as part of the breaking barriers to prosperity toolkit to increase participants' understanding of the hardships and emotional toll experienced by under-resourced families. Advocacyalabama possible's programs and advocacy work are data-driven, and Alabama possible compiles and summarizes its research on an annual basis through the barriers to prosperity data sheet, a comprehensive, graphic resource that highlights rates of poverty, food security, educational attainment, employment, and health insurance coverage for all 67 Alabama counties.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 81% 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: 90
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.4%; rating input score 99
  • Program expense ratio: 89.5%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 8 of 8 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: 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: -11.1%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.22; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.1%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.4% of revenue deployed · 89.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $893K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $131K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 48/100.
  • 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.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.