Rachel's Network Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
311644905
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2026590846
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,193,936
Expenses
$1,785,562
Assets
$1,910,217
Liabilities
$29,018

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • FERN SHEPARD (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • FERN SHEPARD (PRESIDENT): $175,552 total reported compensation
  • JAMIE BOESE (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $112,695 total reported compensation
  • SHREYA DURVASULA (CATALYST PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $110,240 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Rachel's network promotes women as agents of change dedicated to the stewardship of the earth. Network programs cultivate leadership, instill philanthropic acuity, and deepen understanding of critical issues.

What it reported doing in 2025

Grantmaking programs: our signature program, the catalyst program, celebrates women of color who are building a healthier, safer, and more just world by providing financial, leadership, and networking support. The program aims to help address racial inequality in the environmental funding space. In 2025, we recognized six awardees and six finalists who are advocating against the crisis of lead exposure and environmental injustice in disadvantaged communities, working for river restoration, water security, air quality, climate resilience, food justice, and indigenous rights, among other topics. In addition to providing an annual $15,000 stipend to the awardees and a $10,000 organizational (if applicable) grant to their affiliated organization, we foster their sense of community through a listserv and discussion groups to provide a community of advice and support. Additionally, if awardees choose to utilize a portion of their grant towards leadership services, we offer to help facilitate through one of our vendors. In 2025, rachel's network launched a new program: the legacy award. This program was initiated to support women leaders of color with long experience in and deep dedication to the environmental movement. The inaugural legacy awardees participated in a week-long retreat in dakar, senegal, where they met with social justice leaders, connected with each other, and had space for reflection, learning, and rest. Our funder members who have participated in the catalyst program are funding more bipoc-led organizations than they did before participating.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 67% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 70% for direct work, and 30% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 53
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.2%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 81.3%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: 18.6%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.07; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 34.7%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.4% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.2% of revenue deployed · 81.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $176K · 19 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 20 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 15 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 46/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.