American Youthworks

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
742197942
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
5127441902
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$12,038,938
Expenses
$12,391,858
Assets
$7,000,708
Liabilities
$1,829,268

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RUBEN CANTU (PRESIDENT)
  • MICHAEL PARC SMITH (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL PARC SMITH (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $134,286 total reported compensation
  • ELIZA MONTANA (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $125,167 total reported compensation
  • TAMMY EL-TAWIL (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE): $118,283 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

American youthworks (ayw) annually provides 400+ young adults with training and resources to build careers and strengthen their communities through education, paid career training, and national service. Ayw programs prepare participants for high demand career sectors and skilled trades, while addressing critical needs throughout urban and rural communities through projects and partnerships.

What it reported doing in 2023

American youthworks youthbuild (ayw-yb) pre-apprenticeship program annually engages 200+ young adults ages 17-24 with the education, job skills training, and support needed to build successful careers in skilled trades and other high-demand industries. Based in austin with an operating site in taylor, tx, ayw-yb serves individuals who may be disconnected from school or work, offering an integrated approach that includes ged or high school diploma completion, career development, and access to support services such as job placement assistance, mental health resources, and childcare. Participants develop personalized learning and career plans with program staff and earn certifications and work experience in fields such as construction, healthcare, and manufacturing/it. Participants gain career skills while completing service projects, such as building affordable housing, providing access to technology and community health care. Many participants are from communities with limited access to opportunities and face additional challenges including housing instability, parenting responsibilities, or previous court involvement. At ayw-yb, participants learn skills needed to overcome challenges, secure stable employment, and achieve long-term success both in their careers and in contributing to their communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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. Some related-organization disclosures are missing and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89.3%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 86.6%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $185.31 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th 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: Scored; rating input score 0

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: -2.9%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.56; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 89.3% of revenue deployed · 86.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $10.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $134K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and related organizations
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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 — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 18/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 59/100.