Project Fine

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
411883675
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Winona, MN, USA
Phone
5074524100
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,205,349
Expenses
$781,080
Assets
$2,591,111
Liabilities
$52,047

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAN MATEJKA (PRESIDENT)
  • DALE HINCKLEY (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • FATIMA SAID (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • FATIMA SAID (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $164,416 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To create an inclusive community by serving refugees and immigrants and building connections across cultures.

What it reported doing in 2025

Welcoming table: this project is an opportunity for the community to come together to share a meal and build cross-cultural relationships. 5 gatherings were heldin 2025 in winona and st charles, with 505 people participating.girls reaching above and beyond: designed to help girls age 10-18 discover their identity and strengths and create a roadmap to pursue their dreams. In 2025, 51girls participated.college education connection: provides academic support and access to resources for youth as they pursue higher education. In 2025, 4 scholarships wereawarded to program participants.cultural arts & ancestry st charles: this program offers art classes focused on a traditional or folk art, taught by local refugees or immigrants. 2025 classesincluded painting, dance, pinata and feather crowns, and 99 people participated.crime prevention program: this program provides information and education about laws and the criminal justice system for refugees and immigrants. In 2025, 110people participated in program activities, which included sessions on drug use, domestic violence and safety training.early learning program: provides resources, education and support for refugee and immigrant families with young children age 0-5. Activities include in-homevisits to families focused on cognitive and social learning, mental health and parental engagement. During 2025, 507 hours of individualized training wereprovided.follow along community connectors: follow along is offered by the mn department of health to support families with young children as they grow and learn.project fine was one of 8 organizations across the state selected to offer culturally and linguistically inclusive outreach and support to families as they enroll in theprogram. In 2025, we engaged with 38 local families and registered 32 to participate.microbusiness support: this project offers support for refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs, focusing on very small businesses, usually sole proprietors or homebased operations. In 2025, 30 individuals participated.cultural arts & ancestry winona: this program offers art classes focused on a traditional or folk art, taught by local refugees or immigrants. 2025 classes includedpainting, jewelry making, maracas, and masks, and 82 people participated.supporting growers: provides agricultural education for refugees and immigrants, and increases access to resources related to gardening or growing food. In2025, 22 people participated in program activities.training and consulting: project fine offers training and consulting services on topics related to culture, diversity, equity and inclusion. In 2025, 580 individualsparticipated in a training session with project fine. Sessions included presentations to 11 different agencies.cultures united: this program offers middle and high school students the chance to explore countries and cultures from around the world. Students meet afterschool in winona and st charles, and in 2025, 98 youth participated.the cultural healing circles program aims to reduce isolation and improve mental health among refugees and immigrants in winona county throughengagement, relationship-building and traditional healing practices. In 2025, 30 people participated in small group sessions.tastes of winona brought people together from a variety of backgrounds to build relationships, increase cultural knowledge and support belonging. 200 peopleparticipated in project activities, which included a series of cooking classes, cultural potluck and the creation of a cookbook.the goal of the discover winona project is to build a sense of belonging in the community for refugees and immigrants by building a deeper understanding of thehistory of winona county. In 2025, 79 individuals participated in project activities.home and community based services outreach provides outreach to refugees and immigrants to share information about services available for individuals whoare disabled or over age 65. Activities included outreach via phone

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 53.8%; rating input score 54
  • Program expense ratio: 76.4%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $22.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 35.2%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.32; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 53.8% of revenue deployed · 76.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $597K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $164K · 18 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 54/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.