Springwell Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 042616064
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Waltham, MA, USA
- Phone
- 6179264100
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Senior Centers
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $119,463,998
- Expenses
- $116,574,438
- Assets
- $43,740,559
- Liabilities
- $11,549,536
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
27 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- HARRIET MERKOWITZ (PRESIDENT)
- JEFFREY LELAND (VICE PRESIDENT)
- PATRICIA SCHEFFLER (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- PATRICIA SCHEFFLER (CEO): $237,095 total reported compensation
- KARA DONELLON (CFO): $194,290 total reported compensation
- KRISTEN LETOURNEAU-LUCE (COO): $158,361 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
See schedule o
What it reported doing in 2024
Nutrition and community services: as the area's designated area agency on aging (aaa) springwell is responsible for developing comprehensive, community-based services that meet the needs of older adults. The goal of these services is to help individuals lead independent, meaningful and dignified lives in their own homes and communities for as long as possible while at the same time saving money that would otherwise need to be spent on more expensive residential care in a facility. Springwell offers services such as help with applying for public benefits, grocery shopping assistance, friendly visiting, and home delivered meals.springwell's community services programs served 8,961 individuals in fiscal year 2025.springwell provides nutritional services to individuals in the area through a home delivered meals program and at 17 community dining sites. These programs provide both a nutritious meal and an opportunity to socialize with neighbors. Springwell's meal options include a regular meal, a medically tailored meal, a supper meal, frozen meals for weekends and holidays, as well as kosher and chinese meals.springwell's nutrition program served 3,230 individuals in fiscal year 2025.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 99% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 83% of its reported program spending out as grants.
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: 86
- Transparency & Controls: 75
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 40
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 94.3%; rating input score 94
- Program expense ratio: 97.3%; rating input score 97
- Fundraising efficiency: $3.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd 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; 77th 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: 2.4%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.38; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.2%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 12.9% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 17.1% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 94.3% of revenue deployed · 97.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $113.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $237K · 27 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $6.4M reported
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 21 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 12 filed related-organization links
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 12/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 45/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.