The Possible Project Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
271544896
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6174929200
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Student Services, Organizations of Students

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$24,843,143
Expenses
$20,581,116
Assets
$20,507,942
Liabilities
$18,329,472

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

Leadership & pay

33 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BECKY LEVIN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • SARAH PETROW (CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER): $371,014 total reported compensation
  • LORI NEUNER (CHIEF TALENT OFFICER): $326,484 total reported compensation
  • PETER NOVEMBER (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $325,586 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Tpz's program is a steam-infused and entrepreneurship-focused youth development and career-readiness program for high school students from historically under-resourced communities. This tuition-free program represents an investment in each student for 3+ years, taking students on a journey where they tap into their creativity, cultivate key durable and 21st century skills, build strong relationships with supportive adults and peers, and broaden their sense of what is possible in their futures. Our multi-faceted, tuition-free program uses: 1) competency-based curriculum, with a focus on developing skills that are critical for career success, particularly in growing, future-focused industries; 2) hands-on steam exploration and real-world, work-based learning opportunities with local companies and in tpz's in-house enterprises; and 3) personalized college and career advising to inspire students' imaginations, and key network building to launch successful post-secondary pathways.

What it reported doing in 2024

While participating in tpz's program, high school students develop key competencies such as growth mindset, self efficacy, problem solving, teamwork, communication, continuous learning, and steam agency as they engage in innovative, project-based learning, explore authentic, real-world work experience, and receive personalized advising focused on their postsecondary and career options. Tpz operates its program out of its state-of-the-art innovation center, which opened in early 2022 in the jackson square community of boston. Tpz's program and student supports aim to foster "entrepreneurial spirit" among students, characterized by: (1) a sense of belonging, agency, purpose, and possibility; (2) critical skills, mindsets, and assets that enable deeper learning, promote productive risk-taking, and ultimately foster success in any educational or career pathway; and (3) the strong relationships and networks (i.e., social capital) needed for long-term personal and professional success.tpz focuses new student recruitment on public high schools in boston. Tpz also recruits students from the community surrounding its innovation center, via community recruitment events and partnerships with public housing developments and complementary youth-serving organizations in the area. Students within the tpz's programs receive scholarship stipends for enrolling and participating in the program; stipends are designed to offset the cost of their participating in the program. Many students use stipends they receive through the program for basic needs such as transportation, food, clothing, or assistance with household expenses. Since its founding, tpz has served more than 2,000 students in boston and cambridge, ma. During the organization's first-generation programming, students participating in tpz's program launched more than 400 entrepreneurial ventures. Throughout tpz's history, high school students participating in the program reported statistically significant growth on the vast majority of social-emotional learning competencies, essential for college, career, and life. Since launching the next-generation programming in boston, our students, on average, participate in an additional 215 weeks of learning time beyond their school instruction through tpz programming. Over their first three terms at tpz, they experienced significant increases in their: job-seeking skills, networking skills, and overall social network diversity. These elements are all crucial for helping students enter into whatever career pathways they choose. Recent annual data shows 73% of students developed emerging or proficient skills in electronic circuit design, important to pathways in product development and engineering; 74% of students developed emerging or proficient skills in adobe illustrator, commonly used in ui/ux and industrial design; and 75% of students developed emerging or proficient skills in 3d printing, key for rapid prototyping, digital fabrication, and mechanical engineering projects.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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.
  • 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 few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 70%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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: 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: NotApplicable
    • 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: 17.2%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.89; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23.7%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.4% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 20.1% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 25.5% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58% of revenue deployed · 70% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $14.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $371K · 33 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $292K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 21 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 5 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 10/100.