Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency
Legal name: Northwest Michigan Community Action
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 382027389
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Cadillac, MI, US
- Phone
- (231) 775-9781
- Rating
- 93
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Human Service Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $27,498,706
- Expenses
- $27,441,148
- Assets
- $9,145,652
- Liabilities
- $2,145,303
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
29 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KERRY BAUGHMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- KERRY BAUGHMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $112,321 total reported compensation
- MEREDITH GAFILL (CONTROLLER): $103,859 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To foster positive change by providing opportunities that promote self-sufficiency, improving the quality of life and building stronger, more connected communities.
What it reported doing in 2024
Housing program - programs include home repair for low to moderate income homeowners, guidance and one time cash assistance to renters facing eviction, emergency housing motel placement (covid); guidance for landlord and tenant disputes, guidance, one time cash assistance, and rental assistance to help establish permanent housing for those without a home including youth, veterans, and supportive housing populations; information on low-income rental housing, landlords, and budget analysis for individuals seeking a place to rent, assistance to improve the housing stability of veteran families including rental, utility, transportation, child care, moving costs, and emergency supplies assistance, and housing development with partner communities to develop new housing opportunities for renters and home buyers. Total households receiving program services is 2,627.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 97% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 70% for direct work, and 30% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 93
- Transparency & Controls: 96
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 35
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 93.8%; rating input score 94
- Program expense ratio: 94%; rating input score 94
- Fundraising efficiency: $89.58 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: 0.2%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.33; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0.8%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 10 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 93.8% of revenue deployed · 94% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $25.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $112K · 29 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.1M reported
- Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 5 filed related-organization links
- 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.