Embrace Boston Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
881392629
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6172063480
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,896,393
Expenses
$5,483,059
Assets
$6,391,564
Liabilities
$399,323

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • IMARI KENYA PARIS JEFFRIES (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • DUNCAN FRANCIS REMAGE-HEALEY (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, COO)
  • ELIZABETH TIBLANC (VICE PRESIDENT, ARTS & CULTURE)

Highest reported compensation

  • IMARI KENYA PARIS JEFFRIES (PRESIDENT & CEO): $384,145 total reported compensation
  • DUNCAN FRANCIS REMAGE-HEALEY (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, COO): $277,273 total reported compensation
  • ELIZABETH TIBLANC (VICE PRESIDENT, ARTS & CULTURE): $155,523 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 strengthen communities and create lasting change through the arts, culture, civic partnerships, and innovative policy solutions.

What it reported doing in 2024

Arts and culturewe believe art has the power to shape how people see the world and themselves. Our projects celebrate untold stories and amplify voices that deserve to be heard. Highlights include:- the embrace monument and 1965 freedom plaza: honoring dr. Martin luther king jr., coretta scott king, and boston's civil rights leaders.- stories of the embrace app: an interactive experience available in four languages.- the w.e.b. Du bois sculpture: a gathering space that brings du bois's story to life.- the embrace fence art commission: murals created by artists from boston's neighborhoods.signature seriesevery year, we bring people together with events that inspire and challenge. These include:- embrace mass con salsa! 5,000 attendees- everyone250 culture summit 200 attendees- embrace honors mlk 1,200 attendees- embrace honors juneteenth 400 attendees- embrace ideas festival 500 attendees- embrace ideas festival block party 2,000 attendeesour impact: - engaged over 10,000 community members annually.- ensured 75% of attendees could participate thanks to underwriting.transforming stories- 35 episodes of our "good trouble" podcast.- 8 films aired on nbc10, including award-winning documentaries.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.4%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 78.7%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.04 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • 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%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.17; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17.5%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 87.9% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -26.6% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.4% of revenue deployed · 78.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $4.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $384K · 18 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $794K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 34/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.