The Highland Project Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
854241927
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2020
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
4437993742
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Adult, Continuing Education

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,339,528
Expenses
$4,291,240
Assets
$8,982,596
Liabilities
$79,631

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GABRIELLE WYATT (CEO)
  • LORI TALIAFERRO RIDDICK (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT (UNTIL 9/25))
  • SHAWNA WELLS (BOARD PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • GABRIELLE WYATT (CEO): $361,833 total reported compensation
  • LORI TALIAFERRO RIDDICK (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT (UNTIL 9/25)): $214,674 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The organization is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to sustain leaders across sectors and generations focused on creating multi-generational wealth for all, strengthen their civic engagement, and support them through access to capital and social networks.

What it reported doing in 2025

The organization focuses on catalyzing multi-generational wealth and change in communities by supporting leaders with professional development, community experiences, and access to grantmaking.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 52% for direct work, and 48% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 72
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 45.4%; rating input score 45
  • Program expense ratio: 87.4%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $151.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 48.5%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.09; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.4%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 38.6% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 25.9% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 28.6% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 45.4% of revenue deployed · 87.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $362K · 8 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $678K reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 21 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 18 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 45/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.