Forward Impact

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
831501685
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
3105702963
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Film, Video

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,025,009
Expenses
$3,585,362
Assets
$3,404,509
Liabilities
$172,105

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JULIO MARCIAL BOARD CHAIR (PRESIDENT - UNTIL 12/24)
  • DANIEL FORKKIO (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & TREASURER)

Highest reported compensation

  • DANIEL FORKKIO (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & TREASURER): $305,129 total reported compensation
  • JAMIE DOBIE (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $193,992 total reported compensation
  • CARLA FLEISHER (VP, FILMS & SERIES IMPACT): $166,773 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Represent justice turns stories into action to change the justice system, while building the capacity of system-impacted communities. Our vision is a fair legal system, dignity for system-impacted communities, and an end to extreme sentencing and mass incarceration.

What it reported doing in 2024

Our films & series program provides pro-bono impact campaign partnership for projects with system-impacted filmmakers at the helm. Each year, we identify and support national campaigns for films that are helmed by formerly incarcerated storytellers. This gives the storytellers access to critical resources, strategy, and support to mobilize audiences in ways that further their work and creates partnership opportunities and relationships with other movement leaders across the country. Since 2019, we have led national impact campaigns for seven feature films that address pressing issues in the criminal legal system. Our film campaigns team has produced 1,200+ screenings across the country, educating 60,000+ audiences on issues of mass incarceration.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 56.3%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 78.7%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $17.91 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 91.1%; rating input score 91; 26th 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 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 28.6%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.95; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26.2%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -32.8% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 29.7% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 56.3% of revenue deployed · 78.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $305K · 14 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.
  • 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 56/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 35/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.