Equality California

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
954708781
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
3238489801
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Lesbian, Gay Rights

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,818,966
Expenses
$3,307,970
Assets
$693,509
Liabilities
$908,941

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

Leadership & pay

44 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SCOTT MALZAHAN (PRESIDENT)
  • CECILIA CABELLO (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • TONY HOANG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • TONY HOANG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $313,441 total reported compensation
  • THOMAS TEMPRANO (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $169,025 total reported compensation
  • VALERIE PLOUMPIS (NATIONAL POLICY DIRECTOR): $165,407 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 create a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all lgbtq+ people.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, governor gavin newsom signed a total of 7 equality California-sponsored bills, including legislation to improve campus climate for lgbtq+ students in higher education, enhance lgbtq+ data collection efforts, protect and improve access to prep for HIV prevention, and create more inclusive emergency preparedness and response programs. In a major win for lgbtq+ families, gov. Newsom signed sb 729 by sen. Menjivar to expand health insurance coverage for fertility services, including ivf, to roughly 10 million californians. California also became the first state in the nation to ban dangerous 'forced outing' policies with the passage of the safety act, by asm. Ward. In collaboration with the California legislative lgbtq caucus and our legislative allies, we successfully stopped several bills that threatened the health and safety of lgbtq+ people, including efforts to ban transgender healthcare for youth and ban books with lgbtq+ content from school libraries.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 78% for direct work, and 22% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 6
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 68.3%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 58.2%; rating input score 58
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.4 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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; 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: -17.3%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.21; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.31; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.4%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 68.3% of revenue deployed · 58.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 38 of 38 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $313K · 44 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.