Southeastern Vermont Community Action Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
030216740
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Westminster, VT, USA
Phone
8027224575
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,687,240
Expenses
$8,948,913
Assets
$4,066,382
Liabilities
$919,835

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • THOMAS DOUGHERTY (PRESIDENT)
  • CAMILLA ARNOLD (VICE-PRESIDENT)
  • JOSHUA DAVIS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOSHUA DAVIS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $155,791 total reported compensation
  • VICTOR BAISLEY (WEATHERIZATION DIRECTOR): $116,318 total reported compensation
  • LISA WHITNEY (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE): $35,861 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Sevca's mission is to partner with individuals and communities to alleviate the hardships of poverty, provide opportunities to grow and thrive, and eliminiate causes of poverty in southeastern Vermont.

What it reported doing in 2024

Vermont has one of the oldest housing stocks in the country, and many homes are drafty, inefficient, and expensive to heat. For low- and moderate-income families, this means high energy bills, uncomfortable winters, and housing that can quickly become unsafe or unaffordable.sevca's weatherization and emergency home repair program addressesthese challenges head-on, improving home energy efficiency, comfort, and safety--while also strengthening Vermont's housing infrastructureand local economy.what we do: assess and weatherize homes to reduce energy loss and lower utility costs; repair or replace inefficient heating systems; completeessential home repairs for health and safety reasons and to makeweatherization possible (e.g., roofing, ventilation, insulations); offer personalized energy coaching, including appliance upgrades andconservation education; suport local jobs through subcontracting witharea businesses.2025 impact: 345 homes weatherized, heating systems replaced or homes repaired, $777,887 invested in local subcontractors labor, 182 energycoaching sessions delivered.this work goes beyond energy savings. It's about preserving the homeswe have, reducing emissions, and ensuring vermonters can live in safe, warms, and affordable spaces. At a time when housing is scarce andcostly to build, sevca's weatherization program is a strategicinvestment in both people and place.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 88% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.3%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 84.5%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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: 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: 7.6%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.45; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.4%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 78.3% of revenue deployed · 84.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $7.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $156K · 16 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $751K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Key Signals

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

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.