The Palo Alto Community Fund

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770483215
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Palo Alto, CA, USA
Phone
6506900370
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,448,553
Expenses
$2,318,139
Assets
$12,260,382
Liabilities
$18,875

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • IRENE WONG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • SUSAN FIELDS BAILEY (President)
  • BECKY BEACOM (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • IRENE WONG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $93,654 total reported compensation
  • LISA VAN DUSEN (OUTGOING ED): $60,840 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 palo alto community fund focuses on the unique needs of our community and channels charitable giving of local donors to effective organizations that improve the quality of life for everyone in palo alto, east palo alto and menlo park.

What it reported doing in 2024

This year ended june 30, 2025, the palo alto community fund (pacf) was proud to be able to support 77 local community nonprofit organizations which are addressing a wide variety of challenges and improving the quality of life in our community for families and individuals throughout our service area. Three of the key focus areas pacf supported and some of the programs supported in each focus area this year included: supporting educational success throughout our community by enabling nonprofits which provide:- community college students with scholarships, mentoring and tutoring for adult immigrants- high school youth with college prep, tutoring, counseling, music and arts education- middle school youth with counseling, tutoring and music education- elementary school children with childcare, science, art and music education- teachers with tools for classroom instruction and a path to equitable compensation across communitiesenhancing community life by supporting nonprofits that provide:- single mothers with financial education and support- children and adults with professional theater, literary discussions and art experiences- our community with environmental education and climate change mitigation strategies- families, children and adults with grief counseling and supportuplifting the vulnerable in our community by enabling nonprofits to provide:- children and families with mental health support and counseling, advocates for foster children - unhoused families & individuals with safe shelter, social services, food, mobile hygiene and a path to permanent housing- seniors with technology for connecting with others, meals and social services- low-income families with rent relief, legal services and medical and dental care- adults and children with disabilities with job training, housing assistance and animal therapy

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 83% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 91% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.3%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 86.2%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.76 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 97.8%; rating input score 98; 34th 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: 5.3%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.29; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.7%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.3% of revenue deployed · 86.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $94K · 27 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 71 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 69 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 52/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.