Just Zero
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 882375282
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2022–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2021
- Location
- Sturbridge, MA, USA
- Phone
- 5089271377
- Rating
- 70
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,371,576
- Expenses
- $980,944
- Assets
- $576,451
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KIRSTIE PECCI (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- KEVIN BUDRIS (BOARD MEMBER): $128,978 total reported compensation
- PETER BLAIR (POLICY AND ADVOCACY DIRECTOR): $100,453 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Just zero is a national nonprofit working to implement just and equitable zero waste solutions across the country. Because people deserve zero waste solutions with zero climate-damaging emissions and zero toxic exposures.
What it reported doing in 2024
Just zero works with community members, environmental leaders, and advocates across the country to implement just and equitable solutions to our waste crisis. Since launching in 2022, we have worked with community organizations in more than fifteen states and territories, including ca, co, ct, il, ma, md, me, nj, ny, and ri to design and advocate for innovative new programs that require companies to redesign their products and packaging to be less wasteful and more recyclable, compostable, and reusable. Our staff has worked to develop proposals to slash food waste and increase composting in states like il, me, and nh. We have also provided scientific, legal, and communications support to communities to oppose polluting waste practices such as landfilling, incineration, and the land application of pfas-containing sewage sludge. This includes work in ma, me, ny, and ok.
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 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 - 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 51
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 69
- Sustainability: 59
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 46.4%; rating input score 46
- Program expense ratio: 64.8%; rating input score 65
- Fundraising efficiency: $9.05 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 35; 35th 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: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 28.5%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 23.4%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 30% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 33.9% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 49.8% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 46.4% of revenue deployed · 64.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $636K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $129K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 46/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 35/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 27/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.