Maricopa Association of Governments

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237151608
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone
602-254-6300
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$32,545,107
Expenses
$33,168,627
Assets
$42,188,866
Liabilities
$38,797,330

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Ed Zuercher (MAG Executive Director and Secretary)
  • Amy Sullivan (Assistant Executive Director)
  • John Bullen (Assistant Executive Director)
  • Audra Koester Thomas (Assistant Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Ed Zuercher (MAG Executive Director and Secretary): $331,000 total reported compensation
  • Amy Sullivan (Assistant Executive Director): $224,260 total reported compensation
  • Vladimir Livshits (Transportation Technical Advisor): $221,766 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To improve the quality of life in the Maricopa region through collaborative planning and decision-making.

What it reported doing in 2024

Human Services Planning-Since 1976, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) has led the development of coordinated regional solutions to address emerging community needs through data-driven analysis and inclusive consensus building. Key accomplishments include: Homelessness & Domestic Violence: Directed regional policy via the Continuum of Care Board, including updates to the Regional Plan to End Homelessness and the submission of the consolidated HUD application to secure vital federal funding. Specialized Transportation: Managed the Ad Hoc Committee to prioritize Section 5310 funding, facilitating the procurement of vehicles and mobility software for older adults and persons with disabilities to meet federal mandates. Strategic Engagement: Fostered a broad partner network to ensure human services delivery is efficient, equitable, and responsive to regional growth. Regional Analytics - The Regional Analytics Program provides the foundational data and socioeconomic modeling essential for effective regional planning and fiscal stability across Maricopa County. Notable activities include: Socioeconomic Projections: Developed high-resolution projections for population, housing, and employment at MPA, RAZ, and TAZ levels to guide multi-agency infrastructure and service planning. Revenue Certification: Produced annual midyear resident population estimates as required by Executive Order 2011-04, serving as the official basis for determining municipal expenditure limits and the equitable distribution of billions in state-shared revenue. Data Integrity: Maintained sophisticated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and modeling frameworks to provide consistent, credible data for MAG member agencies.

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 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 60
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 88.9%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 87%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.9%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.27; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.92; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 8 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 88.9% of revenue deployed · 87% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 34 of 34 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $28.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $331K · 17 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.6M reported
  • Consistency: 44 of 44 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 45/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.