Solve
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 930579286
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2018–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Portland, OR, USA
- Phone
- 5038449571
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Environmental Beautification and Aesthetics
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,739,283
- Expenses
- $1,662,909
- Assets
- $5,165,335
- Liabilities
- $582,418
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
30 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KRIS CARICO (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- KRIS CARICO (CEO): $183,428 total reported compensation
- SARA LISTER (FINANCE DIRECTOR): $111,258 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Solve is an environmental nonprofit that began as a grassroots initiative and has grown into a nationally recognized model for volunteer-driven stewardship. Each year, solve mobilizes thousands of volunteers across Oregon and southwest Washington to clean and restore neighborhoods and natural areas, fostering a culture of environmental care and community pride.
What it reported doing in 2024
Detrash portland and clean & green connect like-minded volunteers who want to tackle the issue of litter in portland. Each week, we support events throughout the city and provide cleanup supplies, safety information, and disposal assistance for any who would like to improve their neighborhood through the simple act of cleaning up.
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 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 73
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 52
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 78%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- 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: 9 of 9 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.4%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.11; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 17.7%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 14.9% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 13.7% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 16.3% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 77% of revenue deployed · 78% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $183K · 30 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 34/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.