Rainbow Research Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 411326460
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Bemidji, MN, USA
- Phone
- 6129983545
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Community, Neighborhood Development
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,198,876
- Expenses
- $1,153,768
- Assets
- $235,825
- Liabilities
- $213,780
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Samuel Grant (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Samuel Grant (Executive Director): $144,762 total reported compensation
- Joseph Morales (Deputy Dir./Indigenous Action Research Dir.): $104,650 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Rainbow Research, inc. is a transformative research, elaluation and capacity-building firm that works toward amplifying the voices of marginalized people and distrupting/dismantling oppressive systems and structures to contribute to a world in which all people have the freedom to thrive.
What it reported doing in 2024
Research: Rainbow Research, Inc. conducted applied research and program evaluations for government agencies, foundations, and nonprofit organizations across the country. Using rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods, the organization assessed program performance, measured outcomes, and produced actionable findings to inform evidence-based decision-making. A core focus of this work was environmental justiceidentifying disparities and community-level impacts related to environmental conditions, and incorporating community perspectives into policy development and advocacy. Rainbow Research's research methodology centers on community-engaged approaches that amplify the voices of marginalized people and surface structural inequities often invisible in conventional data. We provided research services for 12 initiatives in the Midwest United States, one global initiative, and one continent-wide initiative in Africa. A highlight of our work was the development of a Just Transition Planning Guide to support communities in developing strategies to shift the trajectories of communities and regions toward ecological, economic, and intercultural health.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 66% 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
STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 66
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 27
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.4%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 74.5%; rating input score 75
- Fundraising efficiency: $2.51 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th 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; 63rd 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: 3.8%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.2; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.91; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 21.6%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 72.4% of revenue deployed · 74.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $860K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $145K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 7/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 10/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 47/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 7/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.