The Heising-simons Action Fund
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 844316553
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Los Altos, CA, USA
- Phone
- 6508870277
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Single Organization Support
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $14,731,440
- Expenses
- $17,101,156
- Assets
- $2,726,336
- Liabilities
- $311,864
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SUSHMA RAMAN (PRESIDENT & CEO (THRU 7/24/24))
- JENNIFER SHIPP (SEC (THRU 7/8/24), INTERIM CEO/PRES)
Highest reported compensation
- JENNIFER SHIPP (SEC (THRU 7/8/24), INTERIM CEO/PRES): $623,219 total reported compensation
- SUSHMA RAMAN (PRESIDENT & CEO (THRU 7/24/24)): $622,367 total reported compensation
- BARBARA CHOW (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $529,327 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 action fund engages primarily in legislative and other public policy activities, including but not limited to making contributions to ballot measure campaigns and to other policy and legislative advocacy efforts, to promote the common good and general welfare of the general public in California and elsewhere. It is focused on a variety of issue areas, including climate and clean energy, education, human rights, bolstering civic engagement and community advocacy in the city of san jose, ca, and grassroots mobilization at the federal and state level to strengthen democracy and equitable representation.
What it reported doing in 2024
The action fund provided grants to 64 organizations focused on policy and legislative advocacy on climate and clean energy, education, and human rights.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 96% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 89
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 17
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 98.7%; rating input score 99
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- 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; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: -16.1%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.16; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 98.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $16.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $623K · 14 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 25 of 25 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: 83 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 74 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.