Builders Network Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 990538269
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Phone
- 6468142102
- Rating
- 69
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Intergroup, Race Relations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,300,898
- Expenses
- $3,859,683
- Assets
- $1,584,773
- Liabilities
- $143,558
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JESSAMYN WALDMAN RODRIGUEZ (PRESIDENT, EFF. 2/23/24)
Highest reported compensation
- ASHLEY PHILLIPS (HEAD OF PROGRAMS): $159,543 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The organization was established to promote mutual understanding, cooperation, and dialogue among groups that are often seen as at odds. It seeks to combat the currently widespread perception that americans and others throughout the world are divided and unable to make progress on important issues, with one faction unable to listen to, understand or compromise with others.
What it reported doing in 2024
Builders USA: builders USA approach is to reach and teach people at scale with powerful content, equip them with new skills and innovative tools, and mobilize the growing builders movement with grassroots civic programs to hold political leaders accountable for being builders. Program activities include (i) social media programming that develops and distributes short videos of human stories, news media, and educational content to foster flexible thinking and constructive problem solving; (ii) convening discussion groups of citizens with widely differing views on divisive issues, facilitating attempts to reach consensus on those issues and publicizing the results in order to demonstrate to the public that consensus and cooperation are possible; (iii) producing and distributing a weekly newsletter that illuminates the causes and effects of toxic polarization and demonstrating the power of citizens working together across lines of difference.
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 99% 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 most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 71
- Transparency & Controls: 60
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 57
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 70.4%; rating input score 70
- Program expense ratio: 96.6%; rating input score 97
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Missing
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- 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: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 27.2%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.41; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.1%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 70.4% of revenue deployed · 96.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $160K · 7 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $2.1M reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.