Lawrence Communityworks Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042982308
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lawrence, MA, USA
Phone
9786853115
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,517,291
Expenses
$6,021,079
Assets
$52,852,953
Liabilities
$32,183,519

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARIA FINA (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ROSA PINA (PRESIDENT)
  • JESSICA ANDORS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JESSICA ANDORS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $138,657 total reported compensation
  • SURESH SIVASITHAMPARAM (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $115,193 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Lawrence communityworks (lcw) is a community development corporation that weaves together community planning, organizing, and asset-building efforts with high-quality affordable housing and commercial development to create vibrant neighborhoods and empowered residents. By facilitating conversations and action on community priorities, lcw engages partners and a network of youth and adult residents in opportunities to move themselves and this city forward.

What it reported doing in 2024

Asset building is a unique economic development strategy to promote the educational advancement and build the social capital of lawrence residents. The program provides home-ownership and educational programs including pre- and post-purchase homebuyer education, foreclosure intervention, matched savings for asset ownership, financial education and coaching, english as a second language classes and various hard and soft skill workforce preparation classes and activities. The financial stability center provides a bundling of financial education, asset-building, income support and job readiness programs to encourage families as they strive for economic mobility and security.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 75
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58.5%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 81.5%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $28.22 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 68; 68th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 29.3%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.78; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.61; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58.5% of revenue deployed · 81.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $139K · 17 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 18 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 59/100.