Heights Philadelphia

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231365983
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2157901666
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$14,074,117
Expenses
$12,719,137
Assets
$42,397,429
Liabilities
$2,595,125

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SARA WOODS (FORMER - CO-PRESIDENT & CE)
  • SEAN VEREEN (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • PAIGE LEGRAND (VICE PRESIDENT, ADVANCEMENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SEAN VEREEN (PRESIDENT & CEO): $300,907 total reported compensation
  • CHANELL BATES (CHIEF OF STAFF): $223,019 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTOPHER AVERY (VP, PROGRAM STRATEGY & PARTNERSHIPS): $208,726 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Heights is a new kind of organization, an economic mobility catalyst. We believe that creating pathways to educational and workforce success for low-income, black and brown, and first-generation-to-college students is the keystone of a more equitable and prosperous philadelphia. Heights is committed to building those pathways through college and career advising, industry-aligned programming, transformative partnerships, and a community of support that invests and believes in students and their right to economic mobility and educational equality. As a result, students have defined pathways to key industries that provide family-sustaining pay and career opportunities in the philadelphia region. They have an actionable postsecondary plan, are prepared for their postsecondary opportunities, and feel supported by and connected to a larger network of people who invest in their success.

What it reported doing in 2024

K-12 programs: at heights philadelphia, our work focuses on connecting educational trajectory with economic opportunities that lead to family-sustaining employment, which is essential to fix the generational poverty that plagues our city and narrows our students' paths to prosperity. Middle school programming focuses on a high school selection advising curriculum for students and families, with the goal of increasing the number of black and brown underserved students at sdp criteria-based, high performing high schools. Heights staff are embedded in four k-8 schools and our impact will span district-wide by offering workshops for all families and students and building the capacity of teachers to advise students on the high school selection process. In the summer before 9th grade, comprehensive summer bridge programming will ensure students have a smooth transition to high school.high school programming focuses on school-wide college and career programming, as well as recruiting cohorts of students for advising, enrichment, and equity based programming. Heights staff are embedded in 19 sdp high schools in the 22-23 year. Heights coordinators lead the college and career programming, as well as recruit cohorts of 25 students per grade for advising, enrichment, and equity based programming. Heights advisors provide 1:1 advising. School-wide offerings include fafsa support, college exposure, career days, and dual enrollment courses for college credit, tutoring, internships.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 88% 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 available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 67
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 66.6%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9.6%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.33; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66% of revenue deployed · 66.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $8.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $301K · 29 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $664K reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.