Appalachian Opportunity Fund
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 830920796
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2019
- Location
- Johnson City, TN, USA
- Phone
- 8003783778
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Housing Rehabilitation
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $494,227
- Expenses
- $489,042
- Assets
- $108,399
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- BETH MCCONKEY (EXECUTIVE DI): $44,485 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Appalachian opportunity fund provides free, certified financial coaching and financial well-being services to individuals, families, and employer partners across northeast Tennessee, helping low-and-moderate income households achieve lasting financial stability and build generational wealth in central appalachia. Appalachian opportunity fund (aof) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to building financial stability and long-term economic mobility for individuals, families, and communities across northeast Tennessee. Aof operates through three integrated program areas: individualized financial coaching. Aof provides free, high-intensity, one- on-one financial coaching delivered by afcpe-certified coaches who meet clients where they are - in workplaces, recovery centers, community partner sites, and virtually. Clients engage with their coach an average of 30 to 40 times over the course of a year, developing personalized plans to reduce debt, improve credit, build savings, naviga
What it reported doing in 2025
Through its certified financial coaching program, aof increased the financial well-being of 1,137 people in northeast Tennessee - serving 517 individuals through direct, one-on-one coaching. Collectively, these clients paid off 254,000 in predatory debt, saved or invested 174,000, negotiated 92,000 in savings with creditors and lenders, and gained 11,085 points across their combined credit scores. As one coaching client shared "at first, managing money felt overwhelming. I tried different systems, but nothing really stuck. Everything changed when i started working with my financial coach. She helped me simplify everything - writing down my income, bills, and spending. For the first time, i had clarity. That small change has made big progress. I became more confident, more disciplined, and started taking control of my finances. My credit score increased by 90 points - proof that things were changing. With guidance from my coach, i was finally approved for a mortgage and closed on a home. For the first time, my kids and i will have a place that is truly ours - a home filled with stability, healing, and new beginnings.
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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 84
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 34
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 86.8%; rating input score 87
- Program expense ratio: 87.7%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $22.08 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 1%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.22; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 9.1%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 39.6% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 20.6% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 86.8% of revenue deployed · 87.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $429K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $44K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 58/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.