Finger Lakes Independence Center
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 161330345
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Ithaca, NY, USA
- Phone
- 6072722433
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Developmentally Disabled Centers
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,658,779
- Expenses
- $5,121,977
- Assets
- $6,506,147
- Liabilities
- $28,863
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ELLICE SWITZER (PRESIDENT)
- TIM SCHMIDLE (VICE PRESIDENT)
- JANETTE LYNCH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- JANETTE LYNCH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $113,438 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 empower all people with disabilities while creating an inclusive society through the elimination of social and architectural barriers.
What it reported doing in 2024
The center is committed to the goals of the consumer directed personal assistance program, including empowerment of the consumer to control and independently recruit, hire, train, supervise and (if need be) terminate the personal assistants with whom they choose to work. The center works in a limited administrative capacity with the consumer and his or her personal assistants, acting only as the statutory fiscal intermediary to provide necessary management of personnel and payroll functions as required by 18 nycrr 505.28. Personal assistants are provided only statutory benefits and are not, and never have been, subject to the general personnel/employment policies and practices of the agency. The center does not consider personal assistants to be employees of the agency. Also acts as the fiscal intermediary for the consumer directed personal assistance services (cdpas) program in tompkins and tioga counties, providing medicaid sponsored persons with disabilities needing home health care with the ability to hire and manage their own care attendants.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 93% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 61
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88.7%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 97.9%; rating input score 98
- 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: 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: 9.5%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.27; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 14.3% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 88.7% of revenue deployed · 97.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $113K · 10 people listed
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- 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.
- 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 45/100.