Higher Hopes

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
371746399
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2019, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Commerce, MI, USA
Phone
2483609300
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Gift Distribution

Reported finances

Revenue
$433,285
Expenses
$224,213
Assets
$480,071
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILLIAM BIRNDORF (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • WILLIAM BIRNDORF (PRESIDENT)
  • MIRANDA CRAMMER (BOARD MEMBER)
  • DAVID LUBIN (BOARD MEMBER)

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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to benefit the community of detroit through the combinedefforts of businesses, foundations and individuals to provide fullthanksgiving meals to low-income households who are not financially able toprovide a thanksgiving dinner for their family in their own home and toprovide summer meal kits at the critical time, when children are not inschool and struggle with hunger.

What it reported doing in 2025

Provide more than 450,000 pounds of food for thanksgiving and for summer meal programs - more than a quarter-million meals - to underserved families in the detroit area throughout the year.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 64
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 51.7%; rating input score 52
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 48.3%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.14; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.1% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 51.7% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 1 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $224K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 16 of 16 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 52/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.