Old Town Fairfax Business Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
460897041
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Fairfax, VA, USA
Phone
5717627467
Rating
43
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Business and Industry

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$226,548
Expenses
$265,652
Assets
$157,472
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • TINA DISCH (Executive Dir.): $80,000 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 Old Town Fairfax Business Association (OTFBA) reorganized in 2018 with a steering committee of business and property owners in the Historic Old Town Fairfax and Transition Overlay Districts and the City of Fairfax Office of Economic Development support to:- identify the OTFBA commercial district and assess immediate needs- communicate with leaders among commercial businesses and property owners- organize the OTFBA - plan events to promote the businesses in the Old Town area and - build community support through partnerships and coalitionsAs a volunteer-based organization, the OTFBA advocates for Old Town Fairfaxs business community, champions development that preserves the communitys historic integrity, supports its Arts, Culture & Entertainment programs, and promotes an urban, pedestrian-friendly shopping / dining environment.Future Activities: Hosting annual events such as a Taste of Old Town, Art Walk-About, Heritage Village on Main Street, and business awards programAdministerin

What it reported doing in 2025

Galvanizing local business leadership and enhancing communication and collaborations - 20%Partnering with the City of Fairfax to include business participation in downtown events such as Rock the Block concerts, Fall Festival Business Alley, Chocolate Lover's Festival, Park(ing) Day, Small Business Saturday, and George Mason University Homecoming - 20%Marketing the Old Town and Transition Overlay commercial districts to attract investment and patrons - 15%Promoting urban village style planning principles and ensuring quality development, while promoting preservation of business communitys historic character - 15%Assisting developers, business owners and tenants navigate regulatory requirements and access available resources - 10%Coordinating efforts to address downtown transportation, parking, and wayfinding issues - 10%Actively supporting the Dining/Art, Culture and Entertainment programs and contributing groups - 10%

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 66% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 92% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 27
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 0
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 32.5%; rating input score 32
  • Program expense ratio: 27.7%; rating input score 28
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -17.3%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 30.1%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -86.8% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 29.1% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 48.5% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 32.5% of revenue deployed · 27.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 13 board members independent · 0 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $74K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $80K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 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: Mission deployment rate scored 32/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 28/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 7 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.