Rail-volution

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
311791057
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
St Paul, MN, USA
Phone
6124585611
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Research Institutes and Public Policy Analysis

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,758,475
Expenses
$1,568,956
Assets
$1,079,669
Liabilities
$27,285

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DIANA MENDES (PRESIDENT)
  • CAROLYN FLOWERS (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • KATHLEEN KAMMY HORNE (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHLEEN KAMMY HORNE (CEO): $273,856 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 serve as a catalyst for the movement to build livable communities with transit by inspiring people in communities and regions to make better transit and land use decisions. We do this by partnering, equipping and connecting people and institutions at all levels.

What it reported doing in 2025

Mpact: voicesmpact: voices hosts year-round learning opportunities via podcasts, webinars, blog posts, videos and other forms of media on our website. Our most regular format is the podcast, which we host monthly pursuant to a contract with an outside host who hosts and edits the podcasts for us (though we determine the content, speakers, and themes). The podcasts are made available both to our audience and to our podcast host's audience. In addition, we regularly write and share blog posts on topics related to our programs, and we occasionally host webinars. We also produce and share videos, largely from our annual conference. These products podcasts, blogs, webinars and videos in turn are shared on our social media channels and via our e-news. We also create original short videos (often reels) for our social media and feature profiles of people in our network, including members of our national steering committee and board. The intent of all these efforts is to showcase aspects of building livable communities around transit, keep our wider network informed and build our audience.mpact: innovatorsthe mpact innovators program provides and facilitates a national networking group welcoming the next generation of industry leaders and thinkers. The program provides networking and learning opportunities, cultivates innovative new approaches and helps develop new leaders in the industry. Participants provide input to mpact regarding ways to further support emerging professionals at and beyond the conference. At the mpact transit + community conference, the innovators organize activities that are welcoming and accessible for attendees new to the industry, while also open to all conference attendees. Conference activities include idea exchanges, wellness activities, walking tours and the mpact pk slam (powered by pechakucha). Innovators support the mpact national steering committee by providing input on the needs, concerns, and work of new professionals, taking on hot topics, and testing out new session and conference formats.

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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 54
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.5%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 85.5%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $72.64 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st 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: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 27th 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: 10.8%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.69; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17.5%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.5% of revenue deployed · 85.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $274K · 14 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.