Kounkuey Design Initiative Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Throughout 2024, we focused our efforts on projects that build justice, inclusiveness, and resilience into the public realm and improve health, well-being, and quality of life throughout all neighborhoods. Across nearly 30 active projects in southern California, we developed projects that celebrate the untold histories of overlooked communities through park designs, enable those overlooked communities to collaborate on long-term neighborhood planning, engage youth residents to create long-lasting greener communities through community gardening and planting efforts, mitigate climate change and environmental hazards, make play accessible to children of all ages and backgrounds, and enhance the capacity of local residents to create long-term change in their own communities.working with the county of los angeles department of parks and recreation, kdi created a commemorative toolkit comprised of practical tools that can be deployed at any existing or planned park to ensure representative and inclusive stories are incorporated in the park's designs. Part of the kit is the park audit tool, which the county can use to assess commemorative elements and histories in any given park, and identify the presence of unknown or underrepresented park or community histories. This project builds on a growing body of commemorative work at kdi, including our efforts to install a mosaic at jackie robinson park in sun village, California that illustrates the rich history of the neighborhood and surrounding area. Through all of these projects, we are taking the lessons learned and codifying a community-driven process for commemoration in parks systems.in palm springs, city officials and community residents are working toward a more just future for the metro area, which includes equitable neighborhood investment. As part of the initiative, kdi led a dynamic engagement process consisting of workshops and pop-ups where residents were asked to reimagine their vision for a neighborhood plan named the north palm springs specific plan. Residents used the engagement process to connect with other neighbors and speak directly with the city about their feelings of neglect and underinvestment. The specific plan, infused with the community's vision, will reset long term goals and map a path toward greater neighborhood cohesion, vitality, and long-term economic health.in 2024, kdi continued our work with mar vista gardens, the only public housing project on the west side of los angeles, to create a community greening plan and redesign key public spaces on the campus. To keep local youth engaged with the greening process during the project's design phase, we partnered with the local boys and girls club to lead a youth video and community documentation training program during summer break. Conducted by a ucla film archivist, the program taught students video production skills, super 8 film processing, and community storytelling techniques. Our training sessions culminated in an intergenerational video and zine celebrating residents' existing greening efforts. Students interviewed the local residents leading greening efforts on the mvg campus, and documented their stewardship of the green spaces and their efforts to enhance community access

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 49.2%; rating input score 49
• Program expense ratio: 49.3%; rating input score 49
• Fundraising efficiency: $9.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

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: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• 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: 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: 0.1%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.6; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.21; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 16%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings