NAMI Chicago

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
363075407
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3124773593
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,197,363
Expenses
$10,442,199
Assets
$10,771,787
Liabilities
$3,137,645

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Alexa James (CEO)
  • Liliana Rocha (Associate Vice President of Policy)

Highest reported compensation

  • Alexa James (CEO): $285,761 total reported compensation
  • Jennifer McGowan-Tomke (COO (Until 6/2025)): $247,122 total reported compensation
  • Tamara Mahal (Chief of Growth & Engagement (Until 2/2025)): $187,992 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

See Schedule OGuided by the experiences of those living with mental health conditions and rooted in equity, NAMI Chicago educates to fight stigma and discrimination, fiercely advocates for our community, and shares hope, connection and expertise with people on thier mental health journey.

What it reported doing in 2024

Recovery, Youth, and Prevention: NAMI Chicago works with the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) to provide peer-based outreach and engagement for almost 600 individuals per year transitioning out of Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Facilities (SMHRFs) and Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) into independent community living. Peer support specialists also provide in-home recovery support to individuals recently discharged from these facilities. Grounded in their lived experience, peer support specialists offer personalized guidance in adjusting to new environments, developing independent living skills, and managing potential stressors. They support individuals in their recovery journey and equip them with the essential skills to integrate into the community and successfully maintain independent living. NAMI Chicago's commitment to peer support also establishes critical roles for peers within the mental health workforce. Through NAMI Chicago's support groups, people connect with others who've been there who know what it's like, and who can offer support without judgment. Support groups also provide a safe space for skill-building opportunities, and a sense of hope that recovery is possible. Three hundred and fifty support groups were held this year with more than 1,700 attendees, consistently reporting feeling safe, supported, and more connected to others.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 69% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 87
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.3%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 77.9%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $22.08 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • 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: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 6.7%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.03; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.4%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 22.9% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 22.8% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 20.6% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.3% of revenue deployed · 77.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $8.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $286K · 22 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $381K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 59/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 59/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.