Black Men Speak

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
461277206
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
5109695086
Rating
48
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Mental Health Association

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$373,977
Expenses
$307,351
Assets
$181,740
Liabilities
$27,758

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ZAKIYA JOHNSON (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • DAMON JOHNSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAMON JOHNSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $90,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to inform, educate, and enlighten the mental health community and the general public about issues concerning african american males and men of color suffering from mental health and substance abuse challenges by means of storytelling. By sharing their lived experiences, members of black men speaks and men of color promote self and communal wellness, recovery, and freedom.

What it reported doing in 2024

Black men speak, inc. (bms) is an inspirational speakers bureau founded in 2009 through the alameda county pool of consumer champions. Members of black men speak, inc, men of color and women of color tell their personal stories of what it is like to be an african american, man of color and women of color, with mental health and substance abuse issues living in urban communities. We do this by relaying our individual roads to recovery.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 91% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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

MIXED - 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 7
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 63
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 7.7%; rating input score 8
  • Program expense ratio: 9.4%; rating input score 9
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 90%; rating input score 90; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 17.8%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 29.3%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -150.4% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 42.9% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 93.3% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 7.7% of revenue deployed · 9.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 10 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $29K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $90K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 8/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 22/100.