Community Building Initiative

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
202892726
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Charlotte, NC, USA
Phone
9193089288
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$587,944
Expenses
$720,805
Assets
$424,810
Liabilities
$81,237

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Janeen Bryant (Executive Dir.): $161,240 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 mission of Community Building Initiative (CBI) is to give people and organizations the knowledge, skills and courage to fight bias, remove barriers to opportunity and build a more equitable and just CharlotteMecklenburg. CBI envisions a connected community where everyone: Wakes up to discrimination and injustice? Interrupts inequitable systems and structures? andSteps up to champion equal rights, access and opportunity.CBI provides innovative programs that develop leaders, advance equity and connect the community, working for change at individual, organizational and community levels. CBIs work is grounded in the belief that aspects of difference (including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status) impact not only individual residents but also the policies, programs and practices of organizations and institutions in this increasingly diverse community. Constituencies and staff build capacity to share diverse ideas, and organizations become more adept and effec

What it reported doing in 2024

Advancing Equity Equity Impact Circles, Equity 101, Equity Consultations & Charlotte Equity Impact Fellows Achievements: CBIs board is now more engaged and educated, more deeply connected to CBIs mission and to each other. CBIs equity lens and framework make it more relevant and better equipped to serve as a community resource while expanding what it can offer and to whom. The Equity Project has broadened the cadre of community residents and organizations who are utilizing an equity lens to explore and address persistent community challenges and emerging opportunities? helped build relationships between participants? increased the capacity of individuals and organizations to understand and advance equity? and deepened the commitment to CBIs mission. CBIs Equity Impact Circles (EIC) program is now a fee-generating program.

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 most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 17
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.9%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 66.8%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

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: 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: 8 of 8 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: 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: -22.6%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 22.4%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.9% of revenue deployed · 66.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $481K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $161K · 13 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 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.
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 27/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.