Illinois Opportunity Project C/o Matthew Besler

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
273627386
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
7732944747
Rating confidence
Limited
Sector
Citizen Participation

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$0
Expenses
$963,988
Assets
$175,186
Liabilities
$6,488

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARK CAVERS (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • PATRICK HUGHES (TREASURER/DIRECTOR): $481,084 total reported compensation
  • MATTHEW BESLER (CHAIRMAN/DIRECTOR): $345,937 total reported compensation
  • MARK CAVERS (VICE PRESIDENT): $153,350 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Illinois opportunity project is an organization that participates in public policy by identifying policies driven by liberty and free enterprise and then educating the public about those policy choices and advocating for those policy choices.

What it reported doing in 2023

Participation in public policy by identifying policies driven by liberty and free enterprise and then educating the public about those policy choices and advocating for those policy choices, including advocacy campaigns used to educate individuals as well as urging them to take action by contacting their legislator.

Operating model

Revenue model
No positive adjusted resources. The filing reports no positive adjusted operating resources.
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

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 72
  • Sustainability: 6
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: 80.8%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 22nd 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: Limited
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.18; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 59.2%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 20.8% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 3 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $778K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $481K · 4 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $192K reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2012 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.