Autism Alliance of Michigan

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270472137
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Southfield, MI, USA
Phone
8774632266
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Health

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,984,559
Expenses
$4,928,039
Assets
$2,754,119
Liabilities
$634,765

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • COLLEEN ALLEN (PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • COLLEEN ALLEN (PRESIDENT/CEO): $249,440 total reported compensation
  • MARTIA GROBBEL (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $180,855 total reported compensation
  • MARC BERKE (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $161,528 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We lead efforts to raise expectations and expand opportunities for people touched by autism across the lifespan.

What it reported doing in 2024

Pillar 2 consists of aaom's statewide educational initiaves which have addressed the chronic systemic barriers to quality, inclusive educational opportunities for students with disabilities since 2020. Major advocacy initiatives include special education finance reform, inclusive learning environments, and improved accountabiity across all levels of Michigan's education system. The objective of aaom's educational initiatives is to improve academic and post secondary outcomes for students with disabilities by empowering parents to better advocate for their child while also leading efforts to improve the educational experiences of this population. Ultimately, improved graduation rates, reduced seclusion and restraint, and greater readiness for employment and community living are outcomes we hope to achieve over multiple years.the primary forum for advancing educational initiatives in the mi parent, advocates, and attorneys (mipaac) grassroots coalition. In 2024, 400 total members joined this effort. Advocacy wins included passage of the dyslexia bills and aaom's legislative allocation to develop a special education finance model to equitably and adequately fund services and supports for students with disabilities

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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70.9%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 71.7%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 1.1%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.56; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.5%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.6% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70.9% of revenue deployed · 71.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $249K · 27 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $225K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.