Des Moines Black Liberation Movement Collective Dba Dsm Blm Collective
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 852720434
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2022–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025
- Location
- Huxley, IA, USA
- Phone
- 5153145242
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $367
- Expenses
- $24,360
- Assets
- $0
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
3 people listed
People named in this filing
- JAYLEN CAVIL (Director)
- PADEN SHEUMAKER (Director)
- CATHERINE BURRIS LYONS (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-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Des Moines Black Liberation Movement (DSM BLM Collective) was formally incorporated on October 3, 2021, though its roots trace back to the days following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. The organization was founded to center Black voices, leadership, and ideas while advocating for meaningful, transformative change. DSM BLM Collective affirmed that every Black life matters and worked to uplift the dignity, well-being, and lived experiences of Black individuals across Des Moines and throughout Iowa. Its programs were created to directly support and improve outcomes for Black residents, while also building solidarity with organizations across the state working toward racial justice. DSM BLM Collective dissolved on February 27, 2026, after facing a lack of sustained financial support needed to continue its operations and programming.
What it reported doing in 2025
CULTURE & EDUCATION - The Des Moines Black Liberation Movement Collective (DSM BLM Collective) supported inclusive, community-centered cultural and educational engagement aligned with its advocacy and direct action work. In July 2025, organizers attended the KC Defender-hosted Willa's Vinyl and Books Retirement Party in Kansas City, joining community members, artists, and organizers to celebrate the space's cultural significance while engaging in dialogue and informal learning. In October and November 2025, the organization coordinated and completed the deconstruction of the Black Children's Memorial Garden, a community space for reflection, education, and remembrance. Stewardship of the garden had been assumed from the DSM BLM Foundation, in anticipation of its dissolution on November 15, 2025. The deconstruction was carried out with care to honor the garden's significance while responsibly concluding its use, reflecting the organization's continued commitment to community engagement.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 94
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Sustainability: 8
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 82.9%; rating input score 83
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -6,537.6%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -16.8% per year; rating input score 0; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -194.8% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -79.9% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 82.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 4 filed program accomplishments · $20K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 2 filed schedules
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.