Michigan League for Public Policy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 381360557
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Lansing, MI, USA
- Phone
- 5174875436
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,983,754
- Expenses
- $3,387,740
- Assets
- $10,611,924
- Liabilities
- $888,044
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
19 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MONIQUE STANTON (SECRETARY, PRESIDENT, AND C.E.O.)
Highest reported compensation
- MONIQUE STANTON (SECRETARY, PRESIDENT, AND C.E.O.): $200,381 total reported compensation
- KAREN HOLCOMB-MERRILL (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $167,304 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 league uses data to educate, advocate, and fight for policy solutions that undo historic and systemic racial and economic inequities to lift up michiganders who have been left out of prosperity.
What it reported doing in 2025
Public policy - using data-driven research and analysis, the league values opportunity for all of the state's residents, with a focus on racial and economic equity, diversity, and inclusion. The league strives to dismantle racist public policies that limit opportunities for people of color. The league works to improve the lives of all michiganders through policy change, and focuses on promoting reliable healthcare, high-quality education, strong jobs and training, safe environments, and empowered communities.see schedule o for additional information.the league's ongoing projects include work done as part of the state priorities partnership and the kids count project. The league also works with state policymakers to plan ways to improve access to services for populations that have been marginalized, particularly children in families with low incomes, as well as black and brown residents.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 92% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 90
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 34
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 99.6%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $14.85 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- 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: 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: -13.5%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.13; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 10.9%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 99.6% of revenue deployed · 88% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $200K · 19 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2025
- 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.