START Corporation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
581687098
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Houma, LA, USA
Phone
9853332020
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Reported finances

Revenue
$66,026,064
Expenses
$58,886,761
Assets
$34,112,742
Liabilities
$9,614,679

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

Leadership & pay

40 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Molly Blakely (President)
  • Casey Guidry (President and Executive Director)
  • Adrianne C Duval (Regional Vice President)
  • Donald Gleason (Regional Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Casey Guidry (President and Executive Director): $548,248 total reported compensation
  • Ralph Riley (Dentist): $209,212 total reported compensation
  • Trudy Franks (VP of FQHCs): $200,826 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

START Corporation has been an innovator and motivator for community projects serving disabled, mentally ill, and homeless individuals since its inception. It offers these types of individuals an opportunity for independence and self-reliance through community services.

What it reported doing in 2024

Providing rehabilitation services, training, placement, and employment for the homeless, victims of domestic violence, and mentally and/or physically handicapped individuals in Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. John, St. James, St. Mary, Assumption, Orleans, and St. Charles Parishes. Services provided include skills training, locating housing, financial support, personal care assistance, domestic violence counseling, legal services, and other services necessary in maintaining permanent housing and an increased quality of life. Many participants have recently been discharged from state institutions and are referrals from other agencies.

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 87% 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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 91
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.2%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 97.7%; rating input score 98
  • Fundraising efficiency: $361.64 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 10.8%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.58; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.28; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.3%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.6% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.1% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17.4% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 87.2% of revenue deployed · 97.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $57.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $548K · 40 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • 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: 28 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.