The Fortress Project Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

In march, we were contacted by a local church member to assist a couple in river falls, wi. Barb and mark are long-time residents who are both disabled. Barb suffered tremendous injury over 40 years ago in a house fire, where she lost both legs and one arm. Mark also suffered great injury years ago in an auto accident. While changing a tire on the side of the road, a distracted driver hit him at highway speed. The church member was a friend of theirs who often assisted in cleaning and caring for the home. She noticed barb having difficulty in her motorized wheelchair, moving about the main floor of the house. The flooring in the home had multiple areas of repair and significant wear. There were also several transitions to different flooring products. We decided a complete reflooring of the kitchen, dining, bathroom, laundry, and hallway was needed. In late april we began removing doors, appliances, furniture, trim, and fixtures. We also discovered additional needs along the way; clogged dryer vent, leaking water line to the washer and in refrigerator. In addition, portions of the kitchen cabinetry were custom built, having to be rebuilt when replacing the dishwasher, refrigerator, and microwave. Special time considerations were needed to accommodate the homeowners, as there was only one working bathroom in the home. Beginning in may, we disassembled the bathroom last and rebuilt it first. Hammernicks flooring company recommended a durable glued down flooring product to be used, as it would stand up to the high traffic of motorized wheelchair. They also supplied all the materials needed. Members from 3 area churches and fortress project staff rallied to install flooring over 2 days. After flooring, floor vents were cut in, trim and new transitions were installed, doors were put back. Appliances and cabinetry were reinstalled, with adjustments and repairs made. Personal belongings and furniture were replaced. The project was completed june 1st. -------------------------------------------------------------- in october we were contacted by barry, brother of homeowner greg. Gregs house in north hudson wi, was being condemned, and he was threatened with being forced to move out. His drains had not been functioning properly for over a year, when we were contacted by his brother barry. Both toilets in the home were fully stopped and impacted with waste, as were lavatory sinks. Somehow the kitchen sink still drained, but slowly. The homeowner had been using the local gas station facilities or 5 gallon pails for waste storage for several months. He had not bathed or washed clothes for an undetermined amount of time either, when fortress was invited to assess the home. Fortress contacted associate drain and plumbing experts to assist. We discovered the drains leading to the street had been clogged by years of tree root growth. Ultimate drain services cleared the line, and water flowed freely again. Then, a new issue uncovered: traps and drain connections from the 2 bathrooms leaked. We removed debris from the basement, and plumbers were brought in to correct some diy plumbing fixes. We also capped and closed an unneeded bathroom in the home. In an effort to make bathing easier, fortress suggested a layout change in the main restroom that included moving the toilet to the opposite wall, new flooring, bath fan, and grab bars. Homeowner greg was unwilling to approve of any changes. Great strides were made toward correction, but the homeowner stopped short of full renovation. -------------------------------------------------------------- in november, an associate of fortress contacted us to help his friend, a terminally ill man named kurt. Kurt lived with his mother and step father, in a home with significant roof and deck rot. Buckets had been strategically placed in the attic and front room to collect water during rainfall or snow melt. Also, select deck boards and steps were being avoided altogether to prevent injury from falling through.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 96.5%; rating input score 97
• Program expense ratio: 94.1%; rating input score 94
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Limited
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 1 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 11
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -2.5%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.1; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.31; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.1%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 30.3% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 16.6% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 13.9% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings