Cots

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
382420565
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Detroit, MI, USA
Phone
3138313777
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Homeless Shelters

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,418,828
Expenses
$9,678,595
Assets
$27,209,277
Liabilities
$2,211,719

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JEFFREY RIVERA (BOARD VICE PRESIDENT)
  • LINDA KOOS (BOARD PRESIDENT)
  • CHERYL P JOHNSON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHERYL P JOHNSON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $227,630 total reported compensation
  • SONYA NICKS (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $154,517 total reported compensation
  • AISHA MORRELL-FERGUSON (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $141,623 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Create and facilitate opportunities that empower families in poverty to collaborate, thrive, and succeed in building strong households, neighborhoods, and communities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Supportive housing - this program sponsors 80+ units of permanent supportive housing under the hud shelter plus care program, 10 units of supportive housing under a hud grant for individuals with disabilities at the buersmeyer manor apartments, 40-50 units of supportive housing for families in our pathways to housing program, and 30 units under the omega project, a collaborative effort with development centers, inc. The permanent supportive housing program links leasing/rental assistance to supportive services for hard-to-serve homeless individuals and families who have serious mental illnesses, have chronic history with alcolhol or drugs, have HIV/AIDS, or other physical disabilities. This program provides grants to be used for rental assistance. Cots manages the housing aspect of each 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 98% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 81.4%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.48 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.1%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.81; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.2%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.5% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76% of revenue deployed · 81.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $7.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $228K · 22 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $171K reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 18 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.