Helping Ourselves to Transform Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
852585107
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Laurel, MD, USA
Phone
2026746300
Rating
51
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Rehabilitation Services for Offenders

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$83,400
Expenses
$15,275
Assets
$61,328
Liabilities
$61,328

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SONJA OWENS (PRESIDENT)
  • CRYSTAL COMBS (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • CARMEN R JOHNSON (DIRECTOR)
  • SONJA OWENS (PRESIDENT)
  • CRYSTAL COMBS (VICE PRESIDENT)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

We focus on rectifying inequalities and injustices across various domains, like race, gender, income, religion, education and our environment.

What it reported doing in 2024

Youth Empowerment and Intervention Combating the School-to-Prison We are passionately dedicated to addressing the overrepresentation of Black girls in detention centers, a racial and in detention centers, a racial and gender justice crisis. Projected Impact: Reduce school-based arrests and detention referrals of Black girls by 15 to 20 percent over three years. Provide cultural competency training to at least 100 educators annually in Prince Georges County.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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 program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 43
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 30
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 18.3%; rating input score 18
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: Limited
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 81.7%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.01; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 200% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 41% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 169.8% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 18.3% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $6K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 18/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 45/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.