Creative Alternative for Learning and Living Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
680147042
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Atascadero, CA, USA
Phone
8054660766
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Residential Care & Adult Day Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,976,409
Expenses
$5,291,568
Assets
$2,244,677
Liabilities
$893,942

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SUSAN DUNN (PRESIDENT/CEO - PART YEAR)
  • BRENT HEALY (PRESIDENT)
  • SEAN DENICH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - PART YEAR)
  • GEORGE R HAYNES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - PART YEAR)
  • JUSTIN PENROD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • SEAN DENICH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - PART YEAR): $119,485 total reported compensation
  • MICHELE MORRIS (CFO - PART YEAR): $74,886 total reported compensation
  • JAIMEE FRANKIAN (CFO): $9,344 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 provide quality services that have a positive impact in the lives of adult individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

What it reported doing in 2024

Day program active life center a vibrant, community-based day program that provides individualized behavioral support, life skills training, and meaningful daily activities for adults with developmental disabilities. Participants are encouraged to build independence, social connections, and self-confidence through recreational outings, community integration, vocational opportunities, health and wellness activities, and creative enrichment programs. The program promotes person-centered support in a safe, engaging, and inclusive environment that enhances everyone's quality of life.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 99% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 88.5%; rating input score 88
  • Program expense ratio: 83.2%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6.3%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.42; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 88.5% of revenue deployed · 83.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $119K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.