Rising Tide Community Loan Fund

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
233079170
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Bethlehem, PA, USA
Phone
6106915620
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Urban, Community Economic Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$531,752
Expenses
$629,968
Assets
$5,974,641
Liabilities
$3,952,579

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SALLY HANDLON (PRESIDENT)
  • TODD WATKINS (VICE-PRESIDENT)
  • DAWN GODSHALL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAWN GODSHALL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $227,828 total reported compensation
  • JESSICA REIMERT (CFO EFF 3-2025): $148,192 total reported compensation
  • CHRIS HUDOCK (ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECT): $127,813 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The organization provides loans to small or start-up business ventures, that may not qualify to bank standards thereby improving economically depressed communities.

What it reported doing in 2024

The organization provides loans to small or start-up business ventures, that may not qualify to bank standards, to improve the social welfare of economically depressed or blighted neighborhoods of the community.made loans to 16 different business, of these 12 were to busiensses owned by low-to-moderate income individuals and/or located in low-to-moderate income census tracts, 8 were made to woman-owned businesses and 6 were made to minority-owned businesses. Businesses that received loans in 2024-2025 were 4 eateries, an artist, a brewery, a vending company, a coffee shopt, a childcare center, a film maker, a shipping company, an art studio, a plant shop, a perfume store, and a transportation company. The 16 funded businesses reported the creation or retention of 99 jobs.

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 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 98.9%; rating input score 99
  • Program expense ratio: 83.3%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.91 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -18.5%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.48; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.66; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 28.3%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.6% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.3% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 98.9% of revenue deployed · 83.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $525K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $228K · 22 people listed · 0 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: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 6 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.