Pa Alliance Action

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
823537729
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2679354080
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Voter Education, Registration

Reported finances

Revenue
$17,770,748
Expenses
$17,807,661
Assets
$635,430
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Brittany Smith (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Brittany Smith (Executive Director): $185,501 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The PA Alliance Action seeks to advocate at the state level for democracy reform through grassroots activities and support of like-minded organizations on behalf of and in support of all Pennsylvanians, in particular historically marginalized and underserved communities, including communities of color, impoverished communities and the young.

What it reported doing in 2024

Vote-by-Mail Program: In 2019, the bipartisan bill, Act 77, was passed, allowing for no-excuse absentee voting in Pennsylvania, which has greatly expanded access to the ballot. PA Alliance Action supported recruitment, chase, and education of voters to vote-by-mail through communication and direct voter contact programs in 2024. This program specifically set out to educate low propensity voters and voters of color across the Commonwealth.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 65% of its reported program spending out as grants.

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: 91
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.4%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 92.2%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: $96.5 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 84; 84th 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: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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: 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: -0.2%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.04; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.6% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 22.5% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -7.8% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92.4% of revenue deployed · 92.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $16.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $186K · 5 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $375K reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 26 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 19 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.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.