The Aakoma Project Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
834378040
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Arlington, VA, USA
Phone
5714863382
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$161,468
Expenses
$1,171,791
Assets
$746,533
Liabilities
$278,588

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR ALFIEE BRELAND-NOBLE (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR ALFIEE BRELAND-NOBLE (PRESIDENT): $247,500 total reported compensation
  • ALEXANDRA FIELDS (ASSOCIATE CHIEF OF STAFF): $105,986 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The aakoma project works to build the consciousness of intersectional youth and young adults of color and their caregivers on the recognition and importance of mental health, empower youth and their families to seek help and manage mental health, and influence systems and services to receive and address the needs of youth and young adults of color and their families.

What it reported doing in 2024

Empowering people with accessible tools for ongoing mental health management including engaging 13 youth from three countries to join team aakoma (our youth leadership and advisory board) receiving training, leadership and engagement opportunities who also stood tall and initiated mental health conversations with family and friends. Notably 100% of our aakoma project free therapy network providers are people of color and/or people with expertise in providing culturally responsive care. Aakoma has coordinated hundreds of hours of free mental healthcare (via our national provider network referral service) to youth and young adults of color ages 12-30 reaching people of color in almost half 50 states and u.s. Territories. Our work also reaches individuals on a personal level via our activities like teaching virtual mindfulness meditation for young people of color, connecting students with mentors from our network, and providing leadership opportunities, internships, and jobs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 79% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 75
  • Sustainability: 12
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 38.7%; rating input score 39
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -625.7%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.64; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 30.2%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.8% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -27.9% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 38.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $454K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $248K · 6 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 39/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 14/100.