Community Economic Defense Project

Legal name: The Community Firm

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
844867019
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Denver, CO, USA
Phone
3032381200
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Legal Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$102,215,388
Expenses
$99,637,105
Assets
$15,646,990
Liabilities
$6,878,545

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SAM GILMAN (CO-FOUNDER/CO-CEO)
  • ZACHARY NEUMANN (CO-FOUNDER/CO-CEO)
  • Ceasar Jimenez (Vice President of Housing and Supportive Services)
  • Kirby Rising (Vice President of Program Operations)
  • WILL RITTER (VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGY)

Highest reported compensation

  • ZACHARY NEUMANN (CO-FOUNDER/CO-CEO): $232,861 total reported compensation
  • SAM GILMAN (CO-FOUNDER/CO-CEO): $231,876 total reported compensation
  • Christina Garcia (Chief Program Officer): $162,239 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Preventing eviction and confronting economic injustice (Community Economic Defense Project).

What it reported doing in 2024

Integrated financial assistance and household stability services: the organization offers a fund that provides emergency rental assistance to renters facing eviction or displacement. In partnership with state and local government emergency assistance programs, cedp qualifies renters facing eviction and displacement for benefits, and it issues quick, accurate financial assistance checks. Its emergency rental assistance program is designed to move faster than the eviction time line, with capabilities to qualify tenants for benefits and issue payments in less than 24 hours when needed to stabilize a household. Since july 2022, cedp has also managed the state of Colorado's emergency intake system for renters facing displacement. This intake system answers tenant calls about the rental assistance program, features intake agents at courthouses across the state, and coordinates among service providers. Through this program, cedp makes referrals to its own eviction prevention and homelessness diversion programs, and coordinates service delivery with other service providers across the state for household stability services and other needed benefits and services.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 97% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 86% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.8%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 97.2%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 71.4%; rating input score 71; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.5%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.16; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.44; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.3%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 37.3% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 37.3% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 26.9% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: 94.8% of revenue deployed · 97.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $96.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $233K · 13 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 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: 11 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 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.
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 45/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.