Middle Fork Strategies Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
922040834
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Helena, MT, USA
Phone
4067942040
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,232,878
Expenses
$1,036,952
Assets
$618,399
Liabilities
$8,390

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRANDON DEMARS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • BRANDON DEMARS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $92,700 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Our nbsp; goal nbsp; is nbsp; to nbsp; empower nbsp; progressive nbsp; voices nbsp; hold nbsp; our nbsp; leaders nbsp; accountable nbsp; and nbsp; keep nbsp; our nbsp; state nbsp; and nbsp; communities nbsp; safe nbsp; healthy nbsp; and nbsp; prosperous nbsp; for nbsp; Montana apos; s nbsp; working nbsp; families nbsp; we nbsp; work nbsp; toward nbsp; a nbsp; Montana nbsp; where nbsp; constitutional nbsp; rights nbsp; and nbsp; freedoms nbsp; are nbsp; protected nbsp; and nbsp; where nbsp; everyone nbsp; has nbsp; access nbsp; to nbsp; quality nbsp; education nbsp; good-paying nbsp; jobs nbsp; and nbsp; affordable nbsp; housing

What it reported doing in 2024

Launched a program to educate and inform montanans on important news information public policy developments and legislation on a varity of key issues. Program consisted of designing and distributing information via social media and volunteer outreach.

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 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 54
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 94%; rating input score 94
  • 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.9%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.6; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.9%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 70.7% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 30.5% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 38.8% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79% of revenue deployed · 94% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $974K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $93K · 8 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $283K reported
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Fund balance restriction sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.