Mediation Matters Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 141641368
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Albany, NY, USA
- Phone
- 5184460356
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $948,769
- Expenses
- $816,001
- Assets
- $511,084
- Liabilities
- $41,646
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- GEORGE LOPEZ (DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT)
- YASMIN SALWAY (DIRECTOR/VICE PRESIDENT)
- SARAH RUDGERS-TYSZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THROUGH DEC 2024)
Highest reported compensation
- SARAH RUDGERS-TYSZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THROUGH DEC 2024): $93,708 total reported compensation
- JIM FITZGERALD (INTERIM EXEC DIR FEB-SEPT 2025): $59,562 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Mediation matters, inc. Is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting, supporting and increasing the capacity and skills of people to address conflict.
What it reported doing in 2024
Address conflict - mediation matters provides support activities, a mediation center plus forums and programs for constructive resolution of conflicts using alternatives to traditional methods. Alternative methods applied include, but are not limited to, mediation, conciliation and/or arbitration of disputes by trained mediators from the served community. Educational programs and activities to facilitate and promote the understanding and awareness of alternatives to conflict resolution, along with sharing of information, expertise, and training of community volunteers are encouraged and performed by the organization. Conflict resolution primarily focuses on family, children and other domestic issues, neighborhood community problems, landlord-tenant issues, personal and business financial issues and general areas of consumer concerns. During the fiscal year ending 3/31/25, total cases handled were 811 and total individuals connected were 2292.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 82% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 83
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 48
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 75.8%; rating input score 76
- Program expense ratio: 88.2%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $9,533.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 100; 100th 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: Limited
- 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: 14%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.63; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 18.8%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 75.8% of revenue deployed · 88.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $719K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $94K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- 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: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.