Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
041590310
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6177201000
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,981,498
Expenses
$1,682,438
Assets
$4,078,060
Liabilities
$65,401

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

Leadership & pay

128 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DOUGLAS R HOWGATE (PRESIDENT & SECRETARY)
  • ANDREW BAGLEY (VICE PRESIDENT FOR POLICY)

Highest reported compensation

  • DOUGLAS R HOWGATE (PRESIDENT & SECRETARY): $399,209 total reported compensation
  • ANDREW BAGLEY (VICE PRESIDENT FOR POLICY): $201,537 total reported compensation
  • DEBRA CARROLL (DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP & B): $152,317 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Massachusetts taxpayers foundation provides public & private sector decision makers with accurate, timely, unbiased research & constructive solutions that drive public policy in order to strengthen the state's finances & position the commonwealth for long-term growth.

What it reported doing in 2025

Analysis of fiscal and economic policy matters in Massachusetts: performed research and analysis, released publications and worked for reform on a wide range of issues affecting the commonwealth of Massachusetts including health care, business costs and transportation funding to tax competitiveness, capital investments and state and local finances.

Operating model

Revenue model
Membership-supported. 64% of the money available for current operations came from membership dues.
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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 69.9%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: 99.2%; rating input score 99; 28th 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.1%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.42; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 53.7%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63% of revenue deployed · 69.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 124 of 125 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $399K · 128 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.