Northbound Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
883524951
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Savannah, GA, USA
Phone
9126584076
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$570,041
Expenses
$558,469
Assets
$60,764
Liabilities
$34,034

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Mark Hall (President / Board Chair)
  • Shanna Kurtz (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Shanna Kurtz (Executive Director): $124,022 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We fuel highly effective organizations that are making a significant impact in areas of desperate physical and spiritual need. How we do it: there are organizations presently making a dramatic difference in underserved and marginalized communities, often with few resources. They are successful but have a limited ability to scale. By partnering with these organizations, we can exponentially increase their impact and effect positive sustainable change. We create long-term partnerships with capable organizations, bringing together donors and expertise partners to increase impact and effectiveness.

What it reported doing in 2024

We break global cycles of suffering through impactful local humanitarian projects. Our approach stewards development and mission funding to noteworthy partners who are embedded in their communities and uniquely qualified to meet local needs. By working with dynamic local implementers, in faith and friendship, we are helping to bring hope, security and visibility to those in the greatest need.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 59% for direct work, and 41% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 62
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 60.5%; rating input score 61
  • Program expense ratio: 61.8%; rating input score 62
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.1 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Pass
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 95.8%; rating input score 96; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 71.4%; rating input score 71; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.11; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.56; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 22.2%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 61.7% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 41% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -77% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 60.5% of revenue deployed · 61.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 7 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $345K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $124K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 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: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 5/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 14/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.