Higher Purpose Hub

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
821629178
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Clarksdale, MS, USA
Phone
6623518849
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,806,637
Expenses
$2,397,717
Assets
$739,719
Liabilities
$69,190

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Derek Dewayne Hopson Jr (President)
  • Dr Temika Simmons (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Dr Timothy E Lampkin (Executive Dir.): $197,937 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 Higher Purpose Hub (HPH) is a regional nonprofit intermediary focused on improving intergenerational economic opportunity across the Mississippi Delta. HPH works with local, state, regional, and national partners to create impact.

What it reported doing in 2024

Program expenditures for the Higher Purpose Hub (HPH) are dedicated to education, storytelling, and grantmaking initiatives that improve intergenerational economic opportunity across the Mississippi Delta. Established in 2016 and headquartered in Clarksdale, Mississippi, HPH serves as a regional nonprofit intermediary working with local, state, and national partners to reduce generational poverty through five program pillars: Business, Capital, Art, Food, and Health. HPH operates three interconnected components: the Higher Purpose Center, which provides educational programming and community space; the Higher Purpose Network, which strengthens the capacity of rural leaders through training, collaboration, and grant support; and the Higher Purpose Fest, an annual celebration that merges community, culture, and capital through workshops and activations centered on food, music, and wellness. These efforts collectively empower residents and organizations across twenty Delta counties to expand opportunity, foster creativity, and build community wealth. All program expenses are allocated to activities that directly support education, training, and capacity-building efforts consistent with HPH? s mission to strengthen the economic and cultural vitality of the Mississippi Delta.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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 most voting board members are independent. The filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 49
  • Accountability: 80
  • Sustainability: 17
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 98.2%; rating input score 98
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 19th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -32.7%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.31; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.3%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 37.7% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -8.7% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 98.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $198K · 8 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $136K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Board meeting minutes documented not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.