The Progressive Forum
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 202468319
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2022
- Location
- Houston, TX, USA
- Phone
- 7137022245
- Rating
- 58
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Cultural, Ethnic Awareness
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $257,151
- Expenses
- $216,521
- Assets
- $151,666
- Liabilities
- $1,512
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- RANDALL MORTON (Director): $33,000 total reported compensation
- KAREN MATA (OPERATIONS MANAGER): $15,000 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 Progressive Forum is dedicated to enriching our democracy and culture by presenting the great minds it believes are advancing the success of the individual, our species, and life itselfgreat minds from all the fields of human endeavor and the sciences and humanities, as well as business, politics, the environment, and more.
What it reported doing in 2024
The organization hosted two speaking events in 2024. The speakers were fareed zakaria discussing his book "age of revolutions: progress and backlash from 1600 to the present and rachel maddow discussing her new book "prequel: an american fight against fascism".in addition, the forum partnered with rice university in october of 2024 in presenting douglas brinkley and caleb mcdaniel on "historical perspectives on the 2024 presidential election. All events were well attended by houston area residents.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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.
The verdict
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 36
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 54
- Sustainability: 49
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 37.7%; rating input score 38
- Program expense ratio: 44.8%; rating input score 45
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 75%; rating input score 75; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Limited
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 15.8%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.7; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 22.2%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 25.8% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 25.6% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 37.7% of revenue deployed · 44.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 4 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $97K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $33K · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 38/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 45/100.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.