Fairfield Education and Community Assoc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
822828836
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Fairfield, MT, USA
Phone
4064590676
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and Fund Distribution

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$179,006
Expenses
$121,594
Assets
$751,179
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LOREN TACKE (Vice President)
  • TAMMY LACEY (President)

People named in this filing

  • LOREN TACKE (Vice President)
  • RORY FELLERS (Dir - MEM FD)
  • MEAGAN BRADY (Dir - JR WOMEN)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

To unite into one association approved educational and charitable activities working for the welfare of our community, and to raise and distribute the funds necessary to accomplish this work.

What it reported doing in 2024

TRYSTEN FELLERS MEMORIAL FUND - A TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE IN OUR COMMUNITY LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THIS FUND TO SUPPORT SCHOLARSHIPS FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TO STUDENTS IN FAIRFIELD AND AUGUSTA, MONTANA. OUR PRIMARY EVENT FOR THIS FUND IS THE "LIVE YOUR DASH" CLASSIC CAR SHOW, HELD THIS YEAR ON MAY 4, 2024. We presented six scholarships to high school graduates of Fairfield, Augusta and other Teton County, Montana schools, valued at $1000 or $2000 each, totaling $10,000. Recipient schools were Great Falls Community College, Montana State University, Montana Tech (2), Montana State Northern, and North Dakota State College of Science.The Teton County Sheriffs Office has started an interactive presentation for area high schoolers about the effects of alcohol and marijuana and driving under the influence, in memory of Trysten Fellers and honor his life lost trying to prevent drunk driving. This $12,000 contribution was funded anonymously but brings further awareness to our cause and the Memorial Fund.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 70% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 69% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 88
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.1%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 99.5%; rating input score 99
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 93.1%; rating input score 93; 54th 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: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 32.1%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.18; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 28.3% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.6% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.7% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 71.1% of revenue deployed · 99.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 8 filed program accomplishments · $121K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 19 of 20 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.