Mental Health Association of Erie County Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 166050686
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Buffalo, NY, USA
- Phone
- 7168861242
- Rating
- 87
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Health
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,823,006
- Expenses
- $3,138,441
- Assets
- $2,322,284
- Liabilities
- $2,127,969
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
16 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MELINDA DUBOIS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- MELINDA DUBOIS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $143,732 total reported compensation
- THADDEUS ZIENTEK (CFO): $81,591 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To promote mental health and wellness in our community and support individuals and families challenged by mental illness.
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
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: 84
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 17
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 98.5%; rating input score 98
- Program expense ratio: 88.6%; rating input score 89
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: -11.2%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.74; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.92; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.2%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 16.6% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 98.5% of revenue deployed · 88.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $144K · 16 people listed
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- 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 9/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 25/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 4/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.