Homeless Empowerment Project Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043203910
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2009–2022
Forms available
Form 990 2012, Form 990-EZ 2022
Location
Cambridge, MA, USA
Phone
2076938862
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$63,835
Expenses
$64,274
Assets
$43,818
Liabilities
$13,504

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2022. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES SHEARER (PRESIDENT)
  • BERYL LIPTON (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ABIGAIL DERIGO (FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • JUSTINA RIOPELLE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • MARK GREY (BOARD MEMBER)
  • AL ACTION (BOARD MEMBER)
  • MARC GOLDFINGER (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-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2022. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Every month, publishes a self-help newspaper, "spare change news", to allow vendors to earn a dignified, independent income. Publishes writing and art by homeless and other low-income creative people who share insights with readers to promote empathy and social justice.

What it reported doing in 2022

Selling "spare change news" provides self-employment to homeless and low-income individuals. Vendors (salespeople) pay $ .50 for each copy, selling them for $2.00, which provides much needed income and the pride in having an honorable job, often for those who find it very difficult to find mainstream work. The writers fund each issue of spare change news and provides an opportunity for two or three vendors and low-income writers to publish their work. They earn $50 per published piece, allowing the interested public to hear the voices of these marginalized people. The paper "spare change news" is published to inform the interested public about causes and potential solutions to homelessness and poverty, to describe firsthand realities faced by poor people, and to address issues of social justice in general.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% 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

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.7%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 76.2%; rating input score 76

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.7%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.68; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.31; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.1% per year; rating input score 0; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.7% of revenue deployed · 76.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $49K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2009 to 2022
  • 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 — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.