Maryland Free Enterprise Foundation Inc Fka Md Business for Responsive Gov't

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521428852
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
Woodbine, MD, USA
Phone
4102806274
Rating confidence
Limited

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$75,085
Expenses
$124,384
Assets
$65,605
Liabilities
$864

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DUANE CAREY (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • MARK CISSELL (BOARD MEMBER)
  • SCOTT DORSEY (CHAIRMAN)
  • HONORABLE ELLEN R SAUERBRAY (CHAIR EMERITUS)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Maryland free is a statewide, nonpartisan political research and education organization supported by corporations, trade associations, chambers of commerce, small businesses, and individuals. We were founded in 1983 as Maryland business for responsive government and changed our name in 2019 to better reflect our mission.the purpose of Maryland free is to: 1) inform Maryland's businesses, elected officials, and the general public about the political and economic climate needed to foster economic development and job creation in Maryland; 2) improve the role of business in Maryland's publicpolicy; 3) provide support for pro-business candidates; and 4) enable business to hold politicians accountable for the state's economic well-being--like no other organization--through Maryland free's evaluations of the voting records of Maryland's state legislators.

What it reported doing in 2023

Periodic member events to inform members and guests about Maryland policy issues as well as member development.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 100% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: No; rating input score 0

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -65.7%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.53; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4.9% per year; rating input score 0; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 17 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $104K reported
  • Consistency: 10 of 11 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2013 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 27/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.