Appropriate Technology Collaborative

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
262097078
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2010
Location
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Phone
2483219283
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Adult, Continuing Education

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$49,221
Expenses
$57,470
Assets
$20,400
Liabilities
$774

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Christine Watson (Board President)
  • John Bottenberg (Acting Executive Director)

People named in this filing

  • Christine Watson (Board President)
  • John Bottenberg (Acting Executive Director)
  • Diana Wong (Board Member)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Form 990-EZ, Part III - Organization's Primary Exempt Purpose: Provide technology to emerging nations.

What it reported doing in 2025

We installed solar home units and water filters for rural families in Guatemala, improving access to household lighting and clean water. We continued design, construction, testing and field support for solar food dehydrators for practical community use. We supported related travel and field activities in Guatemala, including outreach connected to rural midwives and family energy access. These efforts furthered ATC's mission of providing appropriate technology in underserved communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 85% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 63.4%; rating input score 63

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -16.8%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.35; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74% of revenue deployed · 63.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $36K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.