First Light Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 631197189
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2018–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Birmingham, AL, USA
- Phone
- 2053234277
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,807,238
- Expenses
- $2,451,915
- Assets
- $9,645,698
- Liabilities
- $429,677
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
22 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MILLICENT W RONNLUND (VICE PRESIDENT)
- DAVIS GOODSON (PRESIDENT)
- SHERRY BRAY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- SHERRY BRAY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $109,113 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Offer those experiencing homelessness stable emergency shelter, access to housing programs, and the resources for them to achieve their full potential.
What it reported doing in 2024
Emergency shelter: the emergency shelter can provide shelter to 38 homeless women and women with children. First light provides meals daily, case management services, and a wealth of resources to assist guests as they aim to re-establish themselves in the community. First light's intensive individualized care planning and comprehensive, holistic services address a wide range of needs.first light collaborates with other homeless service providers to place guests in appropriate housing situations upon leaving the shelter. The agency also implemented new programs to address medical and mental health care on site for participant, increased job readiness programs which helped shelter and housed guest develop resumes and seek employment opportunities it is first light's program goal to open channels of communication and to provide opportunities for personal growth, self-discovery and self-improvement through group therapy, life skills therapy, and counseling. Educational and entertainment programs increased, including bible studies led by community volunteers for guests who choose to participate.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 57% for direct work, and 43% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 68
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 92
- Sustainability: 79
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 57%; rating input score 57
- Program expense ratio: 85.4%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $35.71 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
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: 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: 95.5%; rating input score 95; 26th 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 35.6%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.93; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.5%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 27.9% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 57% of revenue deployed · 85.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 21 of 22 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $109K · 22 people listed
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.