Southwest Organizing Project

What it reported doing in 2024

Healthcare-related organizing: swop works to ensure that everyone in southwest chicago has access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. Swop, partnering with many of its member institutions, is a leader in responding to the covid-19 pandemic with vaccination and testing drives. Swop leads the southwest system of care (swsoc), a collaborative effort to ensure access to needed services for students and families in local schools. Swop partnered with marquette school of excellence and esperanza health center to open a health center at the school. Swop community navigators are working with families across the community to give them the information they need to access the healthcare services they need. This work is funded by the chicago department of public health (cdph), the chicago cook workforce alliance, and private foundations. This work benefits all residents of the chicago lawn, gage park, west elsdon, west lawn, and ashburn communities.housing issues: the southwest chicago communities of chicago lawn, gage park, west lawn, and west elsdon were ground zero for the foreclosure crisis of 2007-08. Thousands of foreclosures were initiated, and hundreds of buildings were left vacant in the community. Swop is partnering with united power for action and justice and brinshore development to carry out the reclaiming southwest chicago campaign. Through this effort, swop and its partners are buying, rehabbing and then renting or selling the buildings as affordable housing. In addition, swop connects people to housing counseling, rental and mortgage assistance, and foreclosure prevention services. This work is funded by the Illinois housing development authority (ihda), the city of chicago, private foundations, corporate donations, individual giving, and earned income. The work benefits all the families living in the 94-block target area.citizenship and immigration: southwest chicago has a large immigrant population, with many families living in dual status households. Swop works to ensure that every person is treated with dignity and respect and that they can fully participate in the public life of the community. Swop provides know your rights trainings and connections to legal services. Swop leaders are advocating at all levels of government for changes in laws and policies to support immigrant families. In addition, swop helps people apply for citizenship and connects immigrant families to needed services. This work is funded by the Illinois department of human services (idhs) through the Illinois coalition of immigrant and refugee acts (icirr), private foundations, and individual giving. During the current fiscal year, swop provided services to over 7,000 individuals.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 79.2%; rating input score 79
• Program expense ratio: 96.9%; rating input score 97
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • 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; 66th 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: 18.2%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.08; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.9%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 22% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 25.8% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 27.7% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings