The Ahimsa Collective

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
611969838
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
2094306162
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Inmate Support
Affiliation
Jainism

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,190,388
Expenses
$3,035,787
Assets
$14,530,080
Liabilities
$250,315

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RICHARD CRUZ (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • SONYA SHAH (PRESIDENT, CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • RICHARD CRUZ (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $174,745 total reported compensation
  • SONYA SHAH (PRESIDENT, CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $174,516 total reported compensation
  • SETH WEINER (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $112,064 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 ahimsa collective works to address harm in ways that foster wholeness for everyone. Our north star goals are to replace systems of punishment with paradigms grounded in healing, relationship, and love. To get there, we engage with deep trauma healing and restorative approaches while being grounded in anti-oppression. We work in deep community with people who have committed an act of violence, survivors of violence, and families impacted by harm. In all of our work, we center agency, liberation, dignity, and transformation.

What it reported doing in 2024

Reentry support - our two reentry homes, with eight bedrooms total, provide safe, supportive environments for women, men, and nonbinary people returning from prison, allowing residents to stay as long as they need to establish themselves at their own pace. We prioritize respect, equity, and support for each individual's personal goals, with all basic needs met, such as clothing, food, transportation, and housing. Residents build a mutually supportive community, sharing decisions related to their living conditions and guided by the principle of ahimsa, or do no harm. Conflicts are addressed through open communication, emphasizing space for trust and healing. Our housing community also hosts monthly potlucks, provides access to personal counseling, and offers classes in finance, cooking, and other skills. Additionally, our next step house allows residents to pay subsidized rent and build a credit history as they transition to independent living. Beyond housing, we support those returning from prison by providing transportation, resources, and connections to community support. Nationally, we collaborate with other leaders to expand person-centered, formerly incarcerated-led reentry initiatives, working against exploitative models and fostering a just reentry network across the country.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 73.5%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -38.6%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.79; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.2%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 38.5% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -31.8% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 73.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $175K · 7 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 54/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.