Phoenix Zones Initiative

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
842337171
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Albuquerque, NM, USA
Phone
5052691200
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$98,420
Expenses
$55,496
Assets
$293,007
Liabilities
$4,265

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HOPE FERDOWSIAN MD MPH (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
  • NIKHIL KULKARNI MD (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • HOPE FERDOWSIAN MD MPH (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
  • NIKHIL KULKARNI MD (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • KAVITA RAJASEKHAR MD MPH (SECRETARY)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The phoenix zones initiative provides a platform for the advancement of the rights, health, and wellbeing of people and animals. The organization supports research, education, and collaboration to promote improvements in the treatement, health and wellbeing of people and animals.

What it reported doing in 2025

Education and outreach: phoenix zones initiative provides educational resources for members of the public on issues including child protection, animal protection, and the links between the rights, health, and wellbeing of vulnerable people, animals, and the planet. Phoenix zones initiative also partners with individuals and organizations across sectors including medicine, public health, the sciences, law, international affairs, media, and education to promote greater public engagement around the connections between the rights, health and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 50.1%; rating input score 50
  • Program expense ratio: 83.3%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $109.86 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 43.6%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.28; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -22.2% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -22% per year; rating input score 0; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.9% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 50.1% of revenue deployed · 83.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $46K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 15 of 15 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 50/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.