The Connection Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
060886125
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Middletown, Connecticut, US
Phone
(860) 343-5500
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alcohol, Drug Abuse, Treatment Only

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$53,488,954
Expenses
$50,769,159
Assets
$11,571,006
Liabilities
$6,034,199

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LISA DEMATTEIS-LEPORE (CEO/PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • LISA DEMATTEIS-LEPORE (CEO/PRESIDENT): $557,508 total reported compensation
  • STEPHEN ABSHIRE (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $362,954 total reported compensation
  • BETH CONNOR (CHIEF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $353,346 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Building safe, healthy, caring communities and inspiring people to reach their full potential as productive and valued citizens

What it reported doing in 2024

Community justice: the connection, inc. Has long been one of Connecticut's recognized leaders in improving community safety and justice by helping those involved in the criminal justice system become productive and valued citizens. Starting with the original program, connection house, one of the first halfway houses in the state, to the most recent, a unique scattered site apartment program for people leaving prison, the organization has provided the necessary residential, rehabilitation, and supervisory services to help people turn around their lives. Working closely with its funders and service partners, the organization has utilized proven state-of-the-art cognitive behavioral treatment approaches to successfully reduce criminal recidivism.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 94% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 79% for direct work, and 21% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 53
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.7%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 87.1%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 21st 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: 20.2%; rating input score 20; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 36th 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: 5.1%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.23; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.52; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.9%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 8 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 5 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 82.7% of revenue deployed · 87.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $44.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $558K · 18 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $778K reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 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 — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 7/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.