Independence First Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391343425
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone
4142917520
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$22,645,788
Expenses
$22,723,470
Assets
$17,332,181
Liabilities
$3,420,316

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

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARCIA BOUCHER (PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARCIA BOUCHER (PRESIDENT/CEO): $285,404 total reported compensation
  • WENDY HUOT (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $220,919 total reported compensation
  • KATHY ACEVEDO (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $219,303 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Independence first is a non-profit 501c3 independent living center (ilc) directed and controlled by persons with disabilities, primarily serving the four county metropolitan milwaukee area. The mission of independence first, inc. Is to effectively facilitate empowerment of individuals with disabilities through the core services of: advocacy; independent living skills; information and referral; peer support; and transition.

What it reported doing in 2025

Independent living services provides skills training to persons with disabilities with education and training to increase their ability to live independently in the community. Skills training offered include topics of money, home and time management, communication skills, how to build self-esteem, how to set goals and make good decisions, dealing with conflict and anger, stress management, assertiveness, computer training, just to name a few. Individuals set their goals and training assists them to be successful in achieving them.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 89% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.7%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 79.8%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • 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: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.3%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.76; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.6%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -6.3% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.8% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.7% of revenue deployed · 79.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $18.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $285K · 25 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 45/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.