Great Plains Action Society
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 883978480
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2023–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2022
- Location
- Des Moines, IA, USA
- Phone
- 3193318034
- Rating
- 58
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,246,730
- Expenses
- $584,619
- Assets
- $1,190,088
- Liabilities
- $5,814
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- CHRISTINE NOBISS (EXECUTIVE DI): $56,398 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We address the trauma that indigenous peoples and the earth face and work to prevent further colonial capitalist violence by fighting for and building power in indigenous communities through rematriation, healing justice and bringing in a regenerative economy.
What it reported doing in 2024
Protect the sacred initiative great plains action society's protect the sacred initiative is focused on stopping violence to indigenous peoples by educating and organizing around the missing and murdered indigenous relatives crisis and supporting indigenous families with missing or murdered relatives throughout Iowa, Nebraska, and the great plains. Land defense initiative the mission of our frontline land defense program is to safeguard the land, air, and water in order to protect sacred indigenous spaces and practices that rely on intact environments and a healthy climate. Our goal is to usher in an indigenous-led regenerative economy that uses traditional ecological knowledge to build strong food systems, clean landscapes, and healthy communities. Representation initiative the mission of our representation initiative is to end erasure, whitewashing, and stereotypes of indigenous peoples by increasing diversity, equity and inclusion, changing legislation, evolving narrow-minded holidays, and abolishing racist mascots/depictions, as well as monuments to white supremacy. Civic engagement initiative great plains action society's civic engagement initiative is centered on getting folks out to vote on the issues that affect their freedom, health and safety. Through this work, we are building power in oppressed communities by empowering them to show up, speak out, and create change.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 90% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 27
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 63
- Sustainability: 76
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 21.3%; rating input score 21
- Program expense ratio: 45.3%; rating input score 45
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 12th 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: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 53.1%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.04; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 9.6%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 180% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 91.5% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 91.4% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 21.3% of revenue deployed · 45.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $265K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $56K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 21/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 45/100.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.