ECMC Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
411990628
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Phone
6512210566
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Management & Technical Assistance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$82,572,335
Expenses
$76,633,109
Assets
$1,951,301,209
Liabilities
$49,924,373

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANIEL FISHER (PRESIDENT & CEO, ECMC GROUP)
  • JACOB FRAIRE (PRESIDENT, ECMC FOUNDATION)
  • PETER TAYLOR (FORMER PRESIDENT, ECMC FOUNDATION)
  • JEREMY WHEATON (FORMER PRESIDENT & CEO, ECMC GROUP)

Highest reported compensation

  • DANIEL FISHER (PRESIDENT & CEO, ECMC GROUP): $1,503,752 total reported compensation
  • MARTIN SCANLON (CFO & TREASURER): $1,011,175 total reported compensation
  • JACOB FRAIRE (PRESIDENT, ECMC FOUNDATION): $666,274 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 improve higher education for career success among underserved populations through evidence-based innovation.

What it reported doing in 2024

Strategic grantmaking: guided by ecmc foundation's strategic framework, commitment to systemic change and north star goal, the foundation leverages two main grantmaking strategies-initiatives and strategically responsive-both of which contain several portfolios. Initiatives are focused on addressing students' basic needs, elevating career & technical education leadership, improving the impact of higher education among underserved populations, and strengthening transfer pathways and credit mobility. Each initiative has a theory of action and learning and evaluation framework and is guided by aligned activities, articulated timeframes and earmarked budgets. Through a diverse portfolio of grants supporting multiple populations, geographies and interventions, the strategically responsive strategy enables ecmc foundation to listen to the needs and opportunities identified by applicants, grantees, peer funders and subject matter experts; learn about emerging trends; and leverage foundation resources to advance the postsecondary field. In 2024, ecmc foundation awarded 71 strategically responsive grants and 65 initiative grants.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 88% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filed totals do not add up and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 74
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.6%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 89.9%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.2%; rating input score 99; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 36th 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: 7.2%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 25.46; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.1%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.3% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 9 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 82.6% of revenue deployed · 89.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $68.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.5M · 21 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 206 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 234 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.