Country First Action Foundation Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 993103681
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Moline, IL, USA
- Phone
- 6084421908
- Rating
- 59
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $590,107
- Expenses
- $229,628
- Assets
- $439,790
- Liabilities
- $73,644
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- GREG RIDENOUR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
People named in this filing
- ADAM KINZINGER (DIRECTOR)
- MARIO CASTILLO (DIRECTOR)
- ALEXANDER SARNOWSKI (DIRECTOR)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Country first action foundation empowers communities to lead real change through civic education and grassroots action. By equipping individuals with knowledge and supporting impactful local solutions, we strengthen communities, revitalize economies, and protect our democracy - building a stronger, more resilient america for future generations.
What it reported doing in 2024
Foundations first - the foundations first program provides nonpartisan, civic education to help americans better understand how democracy works. The program answers the most pressing questions from citizens who care deeply about democratic principles and seeks to equip them with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to engage effectively in civic life. By fostering civic literacy and encouraging informed participation, foundations first empowers individuals with the knowledge to take civic action within their communities.certify the vote - certify the vote is a civic education initiative designed to inform americans about the election certification process and its vital role in ensuring public trust in democracy. The program works to depoliticize certification by explaining how the process functions, why it matters, and what safeguards protect its integrity. Through nonpartisan education, and accessible resources, certify the vote equips citizens with a fact-based understanding of election administration and reinforces the importance of fair, transparent, and lawful certification regardless of the outcome.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 99% 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
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 31
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 77
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 19.2%; rating input score 19
- Program expense ratio: 47.4%; rating input score 47
- Fundraising efficiency: $11.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd 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: 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: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 61.1%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.92; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 19.2% of revenue deployed · 47.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $109K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
- Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 1 filing year from 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 19/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 47/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 42/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.