The Action Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
863837562
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
3237970188
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$224,009
Expenses
$189,794
Assets
$44,532
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Joseph Escamilla (Executive Director)
  • Justin Manriquez (Board President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Joseph Escamilla (Executive Director): $27,246 total reported compensation
  • Jenny Escamilla (Treasurer): $23,154 total reported compensation
  • Jessica Munoz (Member): $18,135 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Elevating voices and breaking chains. We empower justice-impacted individuals with the tools to lead and ignite systemic change turning obstacles into opportunities for action and hope.

What it reported doing in 2024

The heart of the program is relationship building. The Organization builds strong relationships as a way to heal support and grow a healthy community - inside and outside of facilities. The Organization provided innovative Peacebuilding and de-escalation practice & training to decrease violence and increase wellness in a way that feels safe and protective. Ways to deliver the program included one-on-one mentorship support groups and training.Fifty 50 individuals benefitted directly from The Action Projects mission during the year. The Action Project received a recognition award from City of Los Angeles - Certificate of Appreciation.Back to School Backpacking Event conducted. Thanksgiving Turkey Food Drive and Christmas Toy Drive conducted during tyear.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 89% 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 voting board members are independent and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 65
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.5%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 95%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 55.6%; rating input score 56; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.3%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.23; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 39.9%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 112.9% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 124.8% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.5% of revenue deployed · 95% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $180K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $27K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.