Taking Ownership

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
931997068
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Portland, OR, USA
Rating
52
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,074,357
Expenses
$1,068,614
Assets
$316,593
Liabilities
$7,561

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Randal Wyatt (Executive Dir.): $133,702 total reported compensation
  • Zack Mills: $102,400 total reported compensation
  • Jared Overly: $101,435 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Taking Ownership is a community and reparations-based organization in Portland, Oregon founded with the intention to activate and utilize community members and their resources for equitable change. Together we renovate and revive Black-owned homes and small businesses that have requested our help, with an emphasis on enabling Black homeowners to age in place, generate wealth and simultaneously deter predatory investors and real estate professionals to deflect the gentrification process.

What it reported doing in 2025

Community Impact Program seasonal maintenance for home owners properties. Served over 45 African American residents with the assistance of over 1,100 volunteer hours.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and a relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 0
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58.1%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 57.6%; rating input score 58
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 0 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.5%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.3; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 40.9%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 63.2% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -18.7% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -86.1% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58.1% of revenue deployed · 57.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 6 board members independent · 0 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $616K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $134K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 7 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.