Equity Project
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 832696563
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2019–2020
- Forms available
- Form 990 2020
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Vocational Counseling
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $122,340
- Expenses
- $267,404
- Assets
- $195,205
- Liabilities
- $225,628
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2020. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Kimberly Walker M Ed (President)
- Kemar Williams (Vice President)
- Natalie Knochenhauer (Founder CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Natalie Knochenhauer (Founder CEO): $126,080 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2020. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Equity Project is committed to advancing racial equity through radical access. We believe every community has the right to transformative experiences creative spaces and the resources needed to reach our full potential. We build the power and resiliency of Black and Brown youth to heal from trauma achieve their goals and harness their creativity for change.
What it reported doing in 2020
The Equity Project is a comprehensive community-based organization that offers a safe space and trauma- informed youth-led programming which utilizes best practices to support Black and Brown youth in healing from trauma building resilience and advocating for self and community care. Our services include: Safe Haven: We offer an emotionally and physically safe public space that provides respite from daily trauma. Trauma-informed design which acknowledges a strong link between our physiological state our emotional state and the physical environment has been utilized in our nurturing environment which features high ceilings tall windows natural greenery comfortable seating an open kitchen aromatherapy calming colors and comforting sounds. Equitable Access: Free basic services such as fresh fruit healthy snacks and meals shower laundry services detergent washer and dryer hygiene and period products a charging station for all variety of phones Wi-Fi printers MacBooks and iPads. Racial Equity: Providing opportunities for understanding of the impact of racism the exercise of agency choice and power and the development of positive cultural identities civic engagement and social and emotional skills viewed through an equity lens. Trusted Adults: Building meaningful connections with others is a deeply healing process and is at the core of all our programming. Our staff are trained on the impacts of trauma on youth can recognize signs symptoms and triggers and offer consistent support and recognition. Because representation matters we encourage relationship-building with Black and Brown community members through play group activities shared meals and creative endeavors. Trauma Informed Tools and Resources: Offering mental health and wellness education in a space replete with sensory-friendly tools and toys including therapeutic bean bags and swing manipulatives games and books and home to our facility dog Zoe and rescue kitten Billie. Creative Outlets: As art is an essential healing tool in navigating and understanding our experiences we promote creativity and innovation through media artistic and cultural exploration. Youth have open access to art music and writing materials including acrylic and watercolor paint and canvases digital video cameras musical instruments and recording equipment. Advocacy and Academic support: Staff offer strength-based collaborative relationships to address the variety of issues presented by our youth including conflict resolution emotional support transportation food clothing driver's licensing and identification provision resume employment and benefit applications family and school challenges. We also offer tutoring and academic support as well as referrals to trusted partners when needed.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 68% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 84
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 10
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 86.5%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- 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: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -118.6%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.73; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.16; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 47.1%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -108.6% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -154.3% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -60.4% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 86.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $231K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $126K · 10 people listed
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2019 to 2020
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 5/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.
- High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.