Groundwork USA Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
810554362
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Yonkers, NY, USA
Phone
9143752151
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,746,867
Expenses
$6,204,122
Assets
$9,919,343
Liabilities
$427,975

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HEATHER MCMANN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • SARAH CALDERON (PRESIDENT)
  • TODD REYNOLDS (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • HEATHER MCMANN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $206,144 total reported compensation
  • STACEY MORAN (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $171,581 total reported compensation
  • CATHERINE MINGOYA (CHIEF OFFICER OF COMMUNITY ADAPTATION AND LAND USE): $154,362 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of groundwork USA (the organization) is to bring about the sustained regeneration, improvement, and management of the physical environment by developing community-based partnerships that empower people, businesses, and organizations to promote environmental, economic, and social well-being. The organization is committed to changing places, changing lives, and changing systems to meet our vision of a world in which everyone can live in a community that is healthy, green, just and resilient.

What it reported doing in 2024

Building thriving and resilient neighborhoods - the organization collaborates with groundwork affiliates to transform neglected land and waterways into community assets that reduce environmental harms, increase community wealth, and create new opportunities for joy and connection outdoors. In 2024, the organization awarded $2,457,200 to support multi-year green space, urban forestry, and stormwater infrastructure projects across the network in addition to supporting place-based programming through coaching, facilitated peer-learning, and data and evaluation services. Through our climate safe neighborhood program, groundwork affiliates engaged over 10,000 residents - including nearly 200 paid resident advisory group members - in the creation of neighborhood climate resilience action plans. Through the land use innovation initiative, we funded five affiliate projects aimed at expanding the role of residents in brownfield transformations. And, through our climate preparedness and land restoration program, we've invested $4.3m in seed funding in 13 projects aimed at addressing the human impacts of extreme heat and flooding. Our recently completed evaluation of these projects showed that every dollar invested in these projects returned $9.25 back to the community in ecosystem benefits.

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 51% for direct work, and 49% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.8%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 84.4%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $48.76 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 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: -8%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.6; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.4%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.3% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.1% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 32.3% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.8% of revenue deployed · 84.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $5.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $206K · 19 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 31 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 23 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.