Michigan Alliance for Business Growth

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
274892968
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Phone
6164854312
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$731,016
Expenses
$837,506
Assets
$384,590
Liabilities
$188,500

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

Leadership & pay

35 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES BOLGER (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • JAMES BOLGER (PRESIDENT & CEO): $424,095 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The west Michigan policy forum seeks to create jobs and opportunities throughout Michigan by removing barriers to competitiveness and empowering grassroots advocacy within the state's business community.

What it reported doing in 2025

Issue advocacy - the west Michigan policy forum (wmpf) seeks to develop, advocate for, and promote;(1) a state tax policy and regulatory structure that will foster general business growth nad improve the economic cliemate for the citizens of Michigan;(2) policies that improve the delivery of services to the public by local units of government;(3) appropriate public funding of education, transportation infrastructure, healthcare, and other public programs and services. Wmpf accomplishes this by reaching business owners large and small, from kalalmazoo to traverse city, and from saginaw to the shoare of lake Michigan, garnering support from communit yleaders and fostering critical discussions. There are many impassioned advocates across the state who have already taken on the challenge of recreating education.wmpf seeks to educate the public and raise public consiousness about policies that will bring about job creation, opportunities, and economic prosperity for Michigan residents.this is accomplished by holding mini-forums and conferences in michgan and conducting search in this area.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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 the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 67
  • Sustainability: 13
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 69.2%; rating input score 69
  • Program expense ratio: 60.4%; rating input score 60
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: 97.1%; rating input score 97; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -14.6%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.49; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 50.6%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -24% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 69.2% of revenue deployed · 60.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 34 of 35 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $506K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $424K · 35 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $548K reported
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 9/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.