Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
811709430
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Harrisonburg, VA, USA
Phone
5409081020
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Reported finances

Revenue
$223,260
Expenses
$229,229
Assets
$148,491
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KEVIN BORG (PRESIDENT)
  • ROBIN LYTTLE (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • MONICA ROBINSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MONICA ROBINSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $49,494 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to learn, share, and illuminate the rich african american history in the shenandoah valley while promoting equity across all aspects of life. Our multifaceted approach includes safeguarding historical sites, fostering community engagement, and ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities. We prioritize recognizing and addressing the systemic inequities that have historically marginalized african americans and are committed to working towards a more just and inclusive society.

What it reported doing in 2024

The shenandoah valley black heritage program has made significant strides in fiscal year 2025 by highlighting the rich african american history of the region through education, preservation, and community engagement. The program aims to honor the past and shape a more equitable future by addressing systemic inequities that have historically marginalized african americans. The program has hosted over 10 guided walking tours, partnered with local schools to deliver six educational programs, and taught a class for the jmu lifelong learning institute. Additionally, the program has held virtual genealogy workshops, deepened awareness of regional african american contributions, and completed preservation planning through the creation of an african american cemetery database. The program has also expanded partnerships with educational institutions, local governments, and community organizations to integrate african american history into public events and regional planning conversations. The program has also presented "providing infrastructure and refuge from white oppression" as part of the massanutten regional library local history series and co-hosted a black heritage event with theshenandoah valley conservancy and herbalist ruby daniels.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 65% for direct work, and 35% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 69
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.1%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 79%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th 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: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2.7%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.65; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21.6%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 18.9% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 19.3% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.1% of revenue deployed · 79% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $181K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $49K · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.