Emerge Action Fund

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
831787883
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2020, Form 990-N 2019
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone
2029214100
Rating
56
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,200,622
Expenses
$1,011,107
Assets
$742,655
Liabilities
$91,776

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • A'shanti Gholar (President & CEO, Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • A'shanti Gholar (President & CEO, Director): $253,616 total reported compensation
  • Alisha Woodward Burleson (Director): $200,765 total reported compensation
  • Sandra Bishop (Director): $190,698 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Emerge Action Fund elevates and amplifies the impact of women in office, in their communities and encourages greater participation in underrepresented communities.

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, Emerge Action Fund (EAF) continued its educational programming, Step Forward and Emerge Rising, both designed to support and develop women leaders at every stage of their political journey. Step Forward serves as the entry point for women exploring political leadership. By laying the foundational knowledge and confidence needed to consider a future run, Step Forward helps demystify the process and open the door to political engagement. In 2025, 12 sessions were held virtually with nearly 60 sign-ups per training and approximately 20 participants in each. Emerge Rising offers a deeper dive into civic leadership and political action. This three-part training series guides women from civic engagement to appointed and elected positions, with sessions focused on seeking board and commission appointments, engaging in city and statewide policymaking, and taking the first steps towards running for office. With 16 sessions held in 2025, Emerge Rising drew over 100 sign-ups and trained 15 women in each session. Participants represented a broad, diverse cross-section of the New American Majority from across the country. Through these complementary educational programs, EAF equips women with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to step into leadership and transform their communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 80% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most filed governance safeguards are in place. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 23
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 62
  • Sustainability: 50
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 21%; rating input score 21
  • Program expense ratio: 24.9%; rating input score 25
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.8%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.73; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.9%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.9% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 36.2% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 21% of revenue deployed · 24.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 4 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $252K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $254K · 8 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 2 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 21/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 25/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.