East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Corporation

What it reported doing in 2024

Eckan's community service block grant (csbg) funded services assist low- income individuals and families in anderson, coffey, douglas, franklin, johnson, lyon, miami, morris, and osage counties. In fy2024-2025, csbg- funded services focused primarily on crisis recovery, assisting households with necessary payments to maintain their living situations; these direct assistance payments included rent, utilities, car insurance, car repairs, bus passes, medical expenses, and more. Csbg-funded services also supported families during the school year through school supply distributions, during the summers with summer lunch and senior farmers market, and during the holidays with holiday bureaus. Year-round, csbg-funded staff offer the steppingstones to success case management program to help participants with setting and reaching their goals. These goals are often financial goals or goals to remove or navigate the barriers experienced when living in poverty. Food distributions and pantries are also offered year-round to support eckan's communities. Eckan's weatherization assistance program (wap) reduces energy costs for low-income households, particularly for the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and children, by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes so that the structure uses less electricity and fuel, while ensuring their health and safety. Eckan weatherization provides home energy audits and installation of energy reduction measures in 17 northeastern and central Kansas counties. The home energy audit consists of a full house inspection to look for areas of potential energy efficiency upgrades conducted by a certified weatherization inspector. They collect information on the home including results of diagnostic tests, use an audit software to estimate potential savings, develop a list of cost-effective measures, and identify energy-related health and safety measures. Measures that are installed improve the thermal comfort and provide health benefits of warm, safe, and secure housing. All the while, providing national and environmental impacts and local jobs. Eckan head start and early head start support healthy development and school readiness for children from birth to 5. Services include comprehensive educational, medical, dental, mental health and overall family well-being. Services are offered in a variety of settings, with a collaborative approach that encourages parents to act as their children's first teachers.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 97.1%; rating input score 97
• Program expense ratio: 94.6%; rating input score 95
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -2.6%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.38; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 1%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings