Creative Works
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 010280723
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Westbrook, ME, USA
- Phone
- 2078791140
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Vocational Rehabilitation
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $33,053,922
- Expenses
- $26,712,744
- Assets
- $32,561,185
- Liabilities
- $2,664,291
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Carolyn Faulkner (President)
- Wayne Messer (Vice President)
- Matthew Hickey (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Matthew Hickey (CEO): $350,910 total reported compensation
- Stephen Hawkes (HR Director): $179,396 total reported compensation
- James Flaker (CFO): $155,546 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
At Creative Works, we build communities of inclusion one relationship, one experience, and one person at a time. We believe in creating opportunities for people to contribute to their communities, to pursue their potential and to be treated with dignity and respect.We envision a world without barriers, and we strive towards a standard of excellence throughout our programs to ensure all participants and members of Creative Works are supported and fulfilled.
What it reported doing in 2024
Maine Woodworks is a social enterprise of Creative Works that employs an integrated workforce consisting of people with and without disabilities. All employees earn a competitive wage and work in an environment that fosters both the development and mastery of various furniture-making skills and independence within their work environment. Our wood shop produces bench-crafted, cottage-style furniture built with renewable North American hardwoods and environmentally friendly finishes. Our colorful line of furniture is sold throughout the United States, and proceeds from sales are used to further the social mission of Creative Works.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 83% 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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 70
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 66
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.4%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 89.7%; rating input score 90
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- 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: 19.2%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.22; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.4%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 72.4% of revenue deployed · 89.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $24M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $351K · 14 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 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.
- 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.