Black Wall Street Kalamazoo

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
834127178
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Phone
2697161996
Rating
61
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$859,676
Expenses
$777,352
Assets
$1,268,976
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NICOLE TRIPLETT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • NICOLE TRIPLETT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $80,451 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Founded in 2018, black wall street kalamazoo (bwsk) is dedicated to fostering financial well-being and economic empowerment within our community through entrepreneurship. Our mission focuses on three key pillar financial literacy education, advocacy for fair lending practices.

What it reported doing in 2025

Black entrepreneur training academy, b.e.t.a program is dedicated to continuing to close the gap of information, resources, access to capital and wealth building for black business owners and entrepreneur this is done through increasing awareness creating access to resources equipping them with knowledge while infusing businesses with capital. 978 free office hoursprovided. 51 businesses have graduated the program. 220k in equity free capital dispersed to entrepreneurs.average household income increased by 32%. 89% of businesses increased sales by at least 20% or more .11 businesses applied for business loan 95% of b.e.t.a participants who apply for external pitch competitions become finalist and or win. 48 businesses formed a business model canvas.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 93% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 71% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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: 17
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 17.9%; rating input score 18
  • Program expense ratio: 19.8%; rating input score 20
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: 9.6%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.63; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.3%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 48.5% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 23.9% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 17.9% of revenue deployed · 19.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $154K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $80K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 24 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 18/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 20/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 55/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.