To Improve Mississippi Economics Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 842301757
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2022, Form 990-N 2020
- Location
- Jackson, MS, USA
- Phone
- 6012992430
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Agricultural Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,924,267
- Expenses
- $2,924,376
- Assets
- $17,834
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Cindy A Elliott (President-CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Cindy A Elliott (President-CEO): $157,494 total reported compensation
- LaGrand Elliott (Co-Private Investigator and Project): $58,499 total reported compensation
- Adrenace Williams (Co- Private Investigator): $31,500 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To Improve Mississippi Economics Inc. T.I.M.E. Inc. is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening Mississippis communities through education innovation and economic empowerment. Our mission is to build strategic partnerships with local farmers businesses and educational institutions to promote sustainable agriculture expand access to technology and create opportunities for economic growth in both urban and rural areas. Through education workforce development and community engagement we work to equip individuals especially youth with the knowledge and resources needed to sustain a healthier more productive Mississippi.
What it reported doing in 2024
Established the Mississippi Ag Innovation Center MAgIC to provide a two-year learning environment for 40 family units of urban socially disadvantaged gardeners and farmers delivering annual education technical assistance and hands-on training in business formation USDA program access financial literacy and enterprise development; instruction in innovative and intensive growing methods such as high tunnels portable raised beds vertical aeroponic towers and small-plot farming; application of climate-smart practices including water conservation drip irrigation aeroponic recycling and healthy soil cultivation; and comprehensive harvesting and food safety procedures covering pre-harvest sanitation safe transport post-harvest cooling and proper washing for market readiness.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 95% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 89
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 47
- Sustainability: 30
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- 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: 40%; rating input score 40; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -0%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.01; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12.5%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 67.2% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 88.7% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 2 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $157K · 8 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2021 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 16 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 40/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.