Community Services Unlimited Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
953218396
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
2137461216
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,127,237
Expenses
$5,145,217
Assets
$10,862,763
Liabilities
$4,685,762

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HEATHER FENNEY (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • CRISTIAN MARROQUIN (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • MAIRA QUINTANILLA (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • HEATHER FENNEY (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $114,293 total reported compensation
  • MAIRA QUINTANILLA (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $84,851 total reported compensation
  • CRISTIAN MARROQUIN (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $82,083 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To create justice-driven community-based programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

In march of 2020 the county board of supervisors recognized the existence of a local health emergency regarding the coronavirus ("covid-19") in los angeles county. A year later the american rescue plan was passed establishing the coronavirus state and local fiscal recovery fund. The county of los angeles (county) through its department of consumer and business affairs (dcba) has partnered with community services unlimited inc. To implement the healthy food kickstarter project (kickstarter).kickstarter supports access to and the delivery of grant-funded programs that provides affordable, fresh, healthy food options to the county's most food insecure communities in order to strengthen and contribute to a more equitable, post-pandemic food distribution system. Kickstarter addresses and alleviates food insecurity regularly experienced, and compounded further by the covid-19 pandemic in black, indigenous, and people of color (bipoc) populations, low-to-moderate income individuals and families, and those living in county-identified target communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 64% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 60
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.3%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 92.7%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $44.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 16%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.11; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.43; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.9%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 26.7% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 24.2% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24.4% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.3% of revenue deployed · 92.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 8 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $4.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $114K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 49 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 45 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 25/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.