The Policy Project

What it reported doing in 2024

The focused student project we are currently working to successfully pass two bills during the 2025 Utah legislative session. The focused student project, tackles food insecurity by expanding access to no-cost school meals and increasing summer nutrition support. It also promotes healthier learning environments through a proposed policy limiting smartphone use in classrooms, addressing factors that impact academic success and mental well-being. Student ambassador program the policy project works with students ages 12 to 18 to develop leadership skills and make a difference in their community via service and advocacy. Each month, we focused on one of our three pillars of leadership, service, and advocacy, and offered remote training and tasks for student ambassadors to engage in. Our monthly speaker series gave our student ambassadors an exclusive chance to learn from all-star leaders from across Utah. We also invited our student ambassadors to attend an in-person service or advocacy event each quarter. Community development program we believe in the power of policy to make lasting change, and we know that civic and community engagement are instrumental to our work. We are dedicated to fostering nonpartisan support for policy solutions and to training future leaders along the way. We collaborate closely with legislators and stakeholders and cultivate grassroots support for maximum impact. Our community development program enables the crucial work to build relationships with stakeholders and identify unmet needs in our communities that can be solved through the efforts of the policy project. In 2023, we hosted 59 events with 4,602 attendees and engaged with more than 300 volunteers.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 87.3%; rating input score 87
• Program expense ratio: 92.2%; rating input score 92
• Fundraising efficiency: $46.84 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 95.2%; rating input score 95; 30th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 11th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • 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: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 6%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.25; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.4%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 32% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 45.6% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 70.2% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings