The Commons Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
990862874
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Little Compton, RI, USA
Phone
4012258286
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Housing Development, Construction, Management

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,527,078
Expenses
$69,550
Assets
$2,885,025
Liabilities
$10,402

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES LOCK (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • PETER ALDRICH (DIRECTOR)
  • JOSEPH AZRACK (DIRECTOR)
  • EDWARD BURNETT (DIRECTOR)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The commons foundation provides funding and educational programs to significantly expand housing options for those integral to the town's vibrancyfocusing on attainable homeownership and rental opportunities for low to moderate-income residents, seniors, and the local workforce. We accelerate progress by supporting homeowners, foundation-led initiatives to create housing and community development, while providing essential education on the financial path to long-term housing and economic stability.

What it reported doing in 2025

"tcf education program: we provide a public financial literacy series. This program equips prospective buyers and homeowners with the tools to manage personal finances and navigate working with financial institutions, ensuring they are prepared for long-term homeownership. Attendees at our workshops have included local government employees, educators, retirees, local workers, and small business owners. In 2025, we held the first of four planned sessions: credit 101

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 23
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 93
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 3%; rating input score 3
  • Program expense ratio: 33.7%; rating input score 34
  • Fundraising efficiency: $225.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 95.4%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 41.48; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -86.4% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 68.4% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 3% of revenue deployed · 33.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $23K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 34/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.