Environmental Works

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237139744
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2020
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2063298300
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Support N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,033,175
Expenses
$6,606,318
Assets
$3,210,209
Liabilities
$683,355

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARK BROWN (PRESIDENT AND TREASURER)
  • BRADLEY WILBURN (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JESS ZIMBABWE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JESS ZIMBABWE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $162,250 total reported compensation
  • WILLIAM SINGER (DIRECTOR OF ARCHITECTURE): $141,214 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT DRUCKER (DIR. OF STANDARDS, SR. ARCHITECT): $133,151 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Environmental works functions as a comunity design and central resource center for the disadvantaged areas of our community and AIDS them in developing long-range community objectivies regarding planning, design, and the environment; AIDS in the definition of present problems in these areas of our community and investigation of possible solutions; develops and AIDS in the development and improvement of low-income housing and facilities for the delivery of community and human services; preserves and protects the natural environment for the benefit of the public and furthers the conservation, preservation, enhancement, and restoration of parks, parks' facilities, recreation areas, and open spaces in communities; and AIDS, supports, and assists by gifts, contributions or otherwise, other tax-exempt charitable organizations.

What it reported doing in 2024

Community design: ew designs and advocates for equitable, community-led environments. In 2024, ew advanced affordable housing, childcare, and supportive-housing projects throughout the region, including addis village (affordable family housing and childcare), parkview services accessibility projects for people with disabilities, and multiple pre-development and real-estate advisory engagements. Ew also supported nonprofit clients with site selection, test fits, planning studies, and design-build community space activations that strengthen local relationships and spur future projects.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 100% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 68
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 84.1%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.19 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 6.1%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.49; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.3%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.4% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79% of revenue deployed · 84.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $5.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $162K · 18 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $219K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay and related organizations
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.