Proof Programs

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
883808908
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Chattanooga, TN, USA
Phone
4235416858
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Job Training

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$205,563
Expenses
$227,758
Assets
$107,102
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL ROBINSON (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KALEENA GOLDSWORTHY (SECRETARY): $38,500 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL ROBINSON (PRESIDENT): $33,000 total reported compensation
  • STAN STOUT (BOARD MEMBER): $8,788 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Collaborates with community development organizations to offer accelerator programs to offer entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry. With more than 75+ years combined experience in the food and beverage industry, proof programs understands the unique challenges program participants are facing each day. They work with entrepreneurs to overcome these challenges and build a more sustainable business model to reach their goals.

What it reported doing in 2025

Collaborates with community development organizations to offer accelerator programs to offer entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 62% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89.7%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 81%; rating input score 81
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 22
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -10.8%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.47; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 35.3%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -13.8% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -21% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 60% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 89.7% of revenue deployed · 81% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $184K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $38K · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.