Aspire of WNY

Legal name: Aspire of Western New York Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
160757756
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Getzville, NY, USA
Phone
(716) 838-0047
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Housing Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$95,244,398
Expenses
$90,719,508
Assets
$42,808,573
Liabilities
$21,467,302

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

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RENEE FILIP (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • CARIE SPENCE (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • RENEE FILIP (PRESIDENT & CEO): $382,912 total reported compensation
  • JENNIFER BALL (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $260,079 total reported compensation
  • MELISSA ROTH (CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFI): $247,652 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Aspire of WNY works with children and adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities to help them realize their full potential and live as independently as possible.

What it reported doing in 2024

Other programs include; self-directed services, fiscal intermerdiary services, clinical and adult health services, assistive technology network, mental health services, rehabilitation services, community respite and vocational services, and many more. Self-directed services (sds) is a program for individuals who are eligible for opwdd services and who are enrolled in the home and community based services (hcbs) waiver which provides for greather involvement of individuals in designing supports based on their unique strengths and needs. It gives individuals more control over the funding used to buy their services. Sds involves assistance from a fiscal intermerdiary to plan and manage budgets and spending and brokerts toassist with selection of supports, progress towards accomplishing identified goals, and participant satisfaction, as well as involvementby the individual's natural circle of support.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 97% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.7%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 91%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 4.8%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.47; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.5; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.1%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 86.7% of revenue deployed · 91% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $82.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $383K · 25 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $4.5M reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 12 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 55/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 53/100.