Scenic America
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 232188166
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2018–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2027921300
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,110,833
- Expenses
- $1,402,022
- Assets
- $2,631,014
- Liabilities
- $617,779
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MARK FALZONE (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- MARK FALZONE (PRESIDENT): $425,795 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Established in 1982, scenic america is the leading national advocacy organization promoting scenic byways, utility underground, highway beautification, responsible community development (continued on sch o)
What it reported doing in 2024
Cementing our position as the leading voice for scenic byways, in 2019, we steered the effort in congress to restore the national scenic byways program to fuel economic development and community pride in places located along these iconic roadways. With the program revived, scenic america then worked to secure its first dedicated funding in nearly a decade through the fy 21, 22, and 23 appropriations cycles for a total of 42 million. Additional funding is anticipated in the fy 24 appropriations bill, thanks to our continued advocacy work. (continued on sch o)
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 67
- Transparency & Controls: 91
- Accountability: 96
- Sustainability: 63
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 58.4%; rating input score 58
- Program expense ratio: 85.2%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $21.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 98.9%; rating input score 99; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 23rd 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: 33.6%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.88; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 30.4%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 17.9% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 22% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 58.4% of revenue deployed · 85.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $426K · 14 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.