Rising Lights Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
843936303
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Elburn, IL, USA
Phone
6302478574
Rating
44
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$402,832
Expenses
$368,668
Assets
$309,426
Liabilities
$6,037

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAIMIE VALENTINI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JAIMIE VALENTINI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $60,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To connect children, teens, and adults with varied abilities to the surrounding community.

What it reported doing in 2024

Day program - consists of scheduled classroom and garden-based activities three times per week. Provided education for our members as they learn to cook, craft, garden, and more, all in the safety of the rising lights space and with the support of trained staff and volunteers. Serves 25 members plus their families.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 17
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 21
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 15.9%; rating input score 16
  • Program expense ratio: 17.4%; rating input score 17
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 22nd 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 8.5%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.84; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.3%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 101.6% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 50.4% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 15.9% of revenue deployed · 17.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $64K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $60K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 30 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 16/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.