Local Energy Alliance Program Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
271155142
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone
4342274666
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Energy Resources Conservation and Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,306,123
Expenses
$3,483,661
Assets
$1,028,613
Liabilities
$797,595

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kathryn VanLangen (Co-Executive Director)
  • Wilson Ratliff (Co-Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Kathryn VanLangen (Co-Executive Director): $93,621 total reported compensation
  • Wilson Ratliff (Co-Executive Director): $93,231 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

LEAP was born out of a growing concern for environmental sustainability and the desire to reduce energy costs for local residents and businesses. Our vision is to create a more energy-efficient and resilient community, reducing our carbon footprint while improving the quality of life for all. LEAP's primary goal is to empower individuals and organizations to make smart energy choices that benefit both the environment and their wallets. We offer a wide range of services, from home energy assessments to solar installations, helping our community reduce energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

What it reported doing in 2025

Low-Income Weatherization Program: LEAP implements low-income weatherization and home performance services on behalf of multiple utility, nonprofit, and local government funding partners. Through programs including Dominion Virginia Power's IAQHIP and EnergyShare Programs and Albemarle County's Assisted Home Performance program, LEAP provides energy assessments and energy-saving improvements at no cost to qualifying households, including low-income, elderly, and disabled residents, in both single-family and multi-family housing. Services may include direct-install measures, air sealing, insulation upgrades, duct sealing, HVAC improvements, attic insulation, and other energy-saving and health-and-safety measures. LEAP staff perform assessments and certain installations, and subcontract specialized services such as insulation and HVAC work in accordance with program and procurement requirements. Income eligibility, scope of work, project completion, and invoicing are documented and maintained in accordance with utility and local funding requirements. LEAP's service area includes the greater Charlottesville and Northern Virginia regions and surrounding communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 76% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 17
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.8%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 80.5%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $58.08 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • 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: Fail
    • 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: -5.4%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.3; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.78; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.4%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -5.6% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84.8% of revenue deployed · 80.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $94K · 14 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $273K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • 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.
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.