The Arc of Northern Virginia

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
540675506
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Fairfax, VA, USA
Phone
7032081119
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,657,812
Expenses
$2,884,105
Assets
$3,421,305
Liabilities
$402,392

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

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Michael Thomas (President)
  • Mark Albert (Past President)
  • Melissa Heifetz (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Melissa Heifetz (Executive Director): $161,844 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 Arc of Northern Virginia promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

What it reported doing in 2024

Advocacy and Information and Referral: The Arc provides advocacy and information and referral services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The Arc advocates at the state and local levels to ensure quality community-based services, including housing and employment programs, and expand laws and policies that protect civil rights. The Arc also provides information and referral services for families by phone, email, website, and in person. (Continued on Schedule O) In addition, The Arc helps youth and families with the transition from school to adult life in the community by offering access to professionals at workshops, seminars, and webinars, including the transition series on a wide variety of topics. The Arc also trains self-advocates in advocacy and public speaking skills through a "life like yours" toastmasters and people first programs. The Arc's resource program, transition points (providing opportunities, information, networking, and transition support), is a comprehensive program to help families with realistic, actionable information with which they can make a wide range of decisions over the life span of their loved one with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Transition points focus on the following key decision points: receiving a diagnosis and having a child enter an early intervention program, starting school and navigating special education and related services, transitioning out of the school system, finding a place to live outside the caregiver's home, entering the world of work and employment, and aging with a disability and aging of the caregiver. The Arc also provides personalized online curriculums and technology to enable independent living, which provides support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to maximize their independence. The Arc's curriculums can be used as virtual travel trainers, life skill teachers, and virtual job coaches to help individuals live, travel, and work more independently. The Arc's curriculums also expand supports for disability service provider partner organizations through the use of innovative technology.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 62.2%; rating input score 62
  • Program expense ratio: 78.6%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.73 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 21.2%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.19; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.6%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 62.2% of revenue deployed · 78.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $162K · 26 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.