Island Housing Trust

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
222993615
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Mount Desert, ME, USA
Phone
2072448011
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Housing Development, Construction, Management

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,104,704
Expenses
$617,656
Assets
$9,268,255
Liabilities
$913,820

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • EDITH DEEDIE BOUSCAREN (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARLA O'BYRNE (ED THRU 10/3): $87,476 total reported compensation
  • SHERRY BILLINGS (EXECUTIVE DI): $27,792 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Island housing trust promotes viable, year-round island communities by advancing permanent workforce housing on mount desert island, Maine.

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, island housing trust (iht) began infrastructure work for a new nine-home workforce housing development in the town of mount desert, representing an expansion of a previously completed affordable housing neighborhood. Iht also completed construction of two homes that had been acquired as unfinished structures. These homes are expected to be offered for sale in 2026 at below-market prices affordable to households earning up to 140% of area median income. Additionally, iht received a donated parcel of land in the village of northeast harbor that is being held for future affordable housing development. Throughout the year, iht continued stewardship of its existing affordable housing portfolio, including the resale of two homes under covenant, and pursued opportunities to expand the supply of permanently affordable year-round housing for local residents.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 32
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 80
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 17.8%; rating input score 18
  • Program expense ratio: 46.5%; rating input score 47
  • Fundraising efficiency: $17.26 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 70.7%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 15.01; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.7%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 22.1% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 17.8% of revenue deployed · 46.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $287K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $87K · 21 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 18/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 47/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 54/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.