The Ahla Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
136095316
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2022893100
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,469,164
Expenses
$7,856,803
Assets
$31,902,347
Liabilities
$760,682

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

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILLIAM ROGERS (PRES. & CEO (UNTIL 3/24))
  • KEVIN CAREY (INTERIM PRES. & CEO (3/24-11/24))
  • ANNA BLUE (PRESIDENT, AHLA FOUNDATION)
  • ROSANNA MAIETTA (PRES. & CEO (FROM 11/24))

Highest reported compensation

  • WILLIAM ROGERS (PRES. & CEO (UNTIL 3/24)): $1,221,254 total reported compensation
  • KEVIN CAREY (INTERIM PRES. & CEO (3/24-11/24)): $1,014,388 total reported compensation
  • ANNA BLUE (PRESIDENT, AHLA FOUNDATION): $453,688 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 foundation's mission is to help people build careers that improve their lives, and strengthen the lodging industry. We achieve this by giving them necessary tools, resources, and education so they are able to launch long-term careers in our great industry.

What it reported doing in 2024

De&i: the ahla foundation's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion continues through its holistic programming aimed at attracting, retaining, and advancing talent. In 2024, this included:-leadership development for women: the forward build & elevate programs supported over 200 women through a year-long curriculum of executive coaching, skills-based workshops, and networking opportunities, helping many participants achieve promotions and expanded leadership roles.-mentorship program: the foundation maintained its structured mentorship platform, pairing emerging professionals with seasoned leaders. The program reported high satisfaction rates and strong outcomes in career progression.-de&i resource hub: expanded online resources for hotels, including best practices, toolkits, and a de&i glossary, to help employers foster inclusive workplaces.-strategic partnerships: continued collaborations with organizations such as korn ferry and the alliance for hospitality equity & diversity, driving industry-wide accountability and inclusive leadership.-five-year de&i plan: progressed on its $5m commitment to advance de&i, focusing on leadership representation, inclusive training, and measurable outcomes across all talent levels.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 57% for direct work, and 43% for grants.

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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 66
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 78%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 10th 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: 86.5%; rating input score 87; 24th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -43.7%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.06; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.5%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.6% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 78% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 26 of 26 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $6.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.2M · 31 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $904K reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 26 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 28 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.