The GenderCool Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
821770892
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Highland Park, IL, USA
Phone
8472240579
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,187,172
Expenses
$1,308,590
Assets
$633,046
Liabilities
$48,976

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Jennifer Grosshandler (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Jennifer Grosshandler (Executive Director): $75,000 total reported compensation
  • John Grosshandler (Board Chair): $50,900 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 GenderCool Project is a youth-led movement replacing misinformed opinions with positive, powerful experiences meeting transgender and non-binary young people who are thriving.

What it reported doing in 2024

GenderCool is breaking through to millions of people who say they have never met a transgender or non-binary person by replacing misinformed opinions with positive, powerful experiences meeting transgender and non-binary young people who are thriving. The GenderCool Project works directly with corporations to provide services such as educational events, HR and Diversity and Inclusion consulting around how best to create an inclusiveworkplace for all employees, including those who identify as transgender and non-binary and for parent employees of transgender and non-binary young people. GenderCool helps to educate the general public through advertising campaigns, media placements, books and speaking opportunities to share stories around transgender and non-binary young people who are thriving.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 64% 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.

The verdict

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89.9%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 81.6%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $291.61 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 19th 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: 71.4%; rating input score 71; 15th 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: -10.2%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.48; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: Limited

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 29.6% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 32.6% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 89.9% of revenue deployed · 81.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 29 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part IX CompCurrentOfficersDirectors column sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part IX OtherSalariesAndWages column sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.