Center for Accelerating Financial Equity

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
992554318
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Newark, DE, USA
Phone
3024521100
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Small Business Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$188,250
Expenses
$492,888
Assets
$534,264
Liabilities
$742

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TRACY SHICKEL (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KRISTEN CASTELL (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $200,004 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Cafe advances financial health and wellness for low- to moderate-income (lmi) individuals by supporting fintech innovation and partnerships. Through our flagship cafe fintech accelerator and strategic initiatives, we empower technology solutions and companies that uplift financial well-being, unlock market potential, and help to build a financial system that empowers individuals and communities to thrive.

What it reported doing in 2025

Cafe has a mission to advance financial wellness for low- to moderate- income (lmi) people through supporting fintech innovation and partnerships.supporting technology startups - cafe delivered accelerator and ecosystem programming designed to connect fintech startups with financial institutions, industry leaders, and investors. These programs help early-stage companies refine their solutions, access potential customers, and scale technologies that improve financial outcomes for lmi individuals. Cafe recently launched a founders circle program for earlier stage companies and has an alumni network to continue supporting startup companies for their full journeys as they grow their businesses and impact. In 2025, cafe supported 18 additional companies, for a total of 30 companies supported that have products in market estimated to reach 16.7m people.thought leadership and industry engagement - cafe led initiatives to increase awareness and understanding of the financial challenges facing lmi populations. Through convenings, partnerships, and content, cafe promoted the adoption of innovative financial solutions and strengthened collaboration across the financial services ecosystem. Cafe hosted multiple events and a conference to bring together the community building the future of financial services that work better for lmi people.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 40.2%; rating input score 40
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 75%; rating input score 75; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -161.8%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.08; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 40.6%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 150.2% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -131.5% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -44.6% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 40.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $198K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $200K · 4 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 6/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.