Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
275106242
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2011
Location
Detroit, MI, USA
Phone
3132093029
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Amateur Sports

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,575,461
Expenses
$5,860,944
Assets
$12,516,992
Liabilities
$451,859

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JESSICA HAUSER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • KHALI SWEENEY (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • PETER FEZZEY (CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER): $257,508 total reported compensation
  • KHALI SWEENEY (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $171,037 total reported compensation
  • JESSICA HAUSER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $167,409 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Building tomorrow's leaders through evidence-based development - where comprehensive support meets individual potential, creating pathways to success that work.

What it reported doing in 2024

Dbg utilizes evidence-based youth development pathways that lead to proven success - one person, one family, one community at a time. Dbg developed an innovative model that yields measurable results through personalized, long-term support, while simultaneously removing obstacles to advancement. Our impact speaks through numbers that represent real lives changed: 100% high school graduation rate since inception, 98% program retention rate - nearly double the national average of 52%, students achieve nearly two years of reading growth in just one year, 98% of graduates pursue post-secondary education, over 1,500 students served and 350+ alumni to date, servicing 8-18 year olds who receive hyper-personalized support through multiple customized pathways, one-on-one tutoring, leadership training, daily meals, steam programs, individualized mentorship, door to door transportation, mental health support, extensive college and career readiness. We have formally measured program efficacy for over a decade and concentrate on domains that indicate lasting impact, specifically in social-emotional learning. Dbg students rank 25% higher in extra-academic factors compared to peers globally.

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 97% 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 - 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 52%; rating input score 52
  • Program expense ratio: 75.1%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 24th 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: 31.7%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.14; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.5%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.4% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18.2% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.1% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 52% of revenue deployed · 75.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $258K · 23 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $127K reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 52/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.