The William J Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
471665900
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2013
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6178035455
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Research Institutes and Public Policy Analysis
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$342,079
Expenses
$561,157
Assets
$435,188
Liabilities
$52,950

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR JACQUELINE C RIVERS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • EUGENE F RIVERS III (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR JACQUELINE C RIVERS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $131,681 total reported compensation
  • EUGENE F RIVERS III (PRESIDENT): $86,422 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 william j. Seymour institute for black church and policy studies will educate and train black church leaders (including clergy, seminarians and lay men and women) as well the interested public, regarding a proper christian philosophic and theological understanding of complex questions confronting the black church at this period in our history. An uncompromising commitment to the poor inspires the seymour institute's mission because of the greater vulnerability of economically disadvantaged populations to the harms that arise from improper societal action in the areas of concern.

What it reported doing in 2024

The institute delivered a religious freedom summit in april 2025 in collaboration with the betsy stockton center at the princeton theological seminary. Fiscal year 2025 saw another successful delivery of the annual academic summer programs, which aim to reduce the usual summer slide among disadvantaged students in the boston area. Middle school students showed growth in math and language arts, and high school students demonstrated growth in knowledge of african and african american studies in boston and cambridge. In 2025, the program was offered to cambridge youth for the second consecutive year. As is customary, the hybrid summer programs for high school youth also provided income-earning opportunities. The research project in post-secular science continued the focus on writing retreats. An essay arising from this work is scheduled for publication in fiscal year 2026. The black church research project 'formerly' the black church social service project began in 2024 and successfully recruited 15 churches to participate. The goal of surveying 20 churches was completed in fiscal year 2025.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 89% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

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: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 81
  • Sustainability: 16
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 82.6%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.6 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

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: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -64%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.78; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 38.9%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.3% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 82.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $463K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $132K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 49/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 24/100.