Amplify Gr
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 824122848
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2019–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Phone
- 6162793936
- Rating
- 71
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Urban, Community Economic Development
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $12,373,007
- Expenses
- $2,419,090
- Assets
- $40,657,913
- Liabilities
- $21,629,319
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KENYATTA BRAME (DIRECTOR & PRESIDENT)
- JON IPPEL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- JON IPPEL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $95,590 total reported compensation
- PATRICK JOHNSON (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $95,190 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
In partnership with neighbors, local businesses, and community organizations, agr seeks to widen pathways so that all residents have a greater opportunity to participate in and benefit from community growth including providing resources that support holistic revitalization of neighborhoods in and around grand rapids, Michigan by coordinating and investing in access to affordable low and mixed-income housing; fostering cradle-to-career educational opportunities; reinvigorating neighborhood economies through workforce development, local entrepreneurship and business development; and enhancing quality of life through community health and wellness efforts; and by engaging in activities related to the foregoing.
What it reported doing in 2024
In the purpose built communities network, amplify gr is a community quarterback organization, meaning we align partners and set strategies for the overall development effort based on the community's vision. In this role, we facilitate the following activities: amplify neighbor ideas through our amp the good grant program, which supports neighbor-led initiatives and projects that build community. Agr also supports neighborhood events and place activation to strengthen social capital. Attracting jobs and building business ownership through the business strong grant program to assist businesses with infrastructure improvements and entrepreneurial coaching. Incubator spaces for makers and small neighborhood-based food businesses to start and grow on their business journeys are online. Innovation strong focuses on workforce development and employee supports with local and small businesses. Agr increases the love of learning with outbridge grants, which provide direct financial support to families in the service area to invest in enrichment activities for children. The organization leverages partnerships for early childhood, k-12, and workforce development opportunities, including working to bring a new early childhood center to the neighborhood in 2024. The 45,000-square-foot community hub currently under construction will support the early learning center, a clinic, and afterschool activities. Amplify gr aims to improve and expand housing options and support wealth creation through home ownership. The neighborhood strong program helps neighbors make needed repairs and enhancements to their homes, increasing affordability, quality of life, and opportunities to create generational wealth.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Affiliate-supported. 63% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 77% for direct work, and 23% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 40
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 91
- Sustainability: 81
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 16.3%; rating input score 16
- Program expense ratio: 68.1%; rating input score 68
- Fundraising efficiency: $63.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- 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: 80.4%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 16.81; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.53; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.9%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 19.2% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 46.3% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 55.7% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 16.3% of revenue deployed · 68.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.6M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $96K · 9 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $823K reported
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links
- 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 16/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 30/100.