Urban Sparks

What it reported doing in 2024

Urban Sparks General Mission Work: We continued our mission of facilitating and leading community projects as well as acting as a resource for those wanting to accomplish public projects and charitable work. We help new associations plan their growth from a group with a cookie jar of cash, to one with a checking account, to a state nonprofit with a fiscal sponsor, to a federally recognized 501c3. We coach many projects without ever doing monetary business, helping project leaders find resources - community and government contacts, past project leaders as mentors, vendors, etc. to build their organizations or to complete their projects. We keep a website and database of resources and readily share them. We also share templates for a variety of documents needed by organizations to manage and fund their projects. TRU - Transit Riders Union and MASS - Move All Seattle Sustainably: We are fiscal sponsor for TRU which helps lead MASS. TRU focuses on public education and civic engagement around issues including public transit affordability and access, multimodal transportation, climate change, fair wages, affordable housing, homelessness, tax policy, and other issues that impact the quality of life in Seattle and King County. TRU plays a leadership role in convening the MASS coalition, which brings together transportation, climate, and disability rights organizations to advocate for a sustainable and equitable transportation system. Complete Streets Bellevue: We are fiscal sponsor for Complete Streets Bellevue which inspires and organizes public participation in transportation decision making. Complete Streets Bellevue is creating meaningful relationships with residents, businesses, and organizations to advance the construction of comprehensive & accessible pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks in Bellevue. Through direct action, walking audits, community events, engagement with public officials, and education, they seek to effect meaningful changes to our transportation system that bring our city closer to becoming an antiracist, equitable, and sustainable community. They acknowledge that transportation is only one piece of a larger progressive & intersectional mosaic required to achieve this goal, so they provide support & authentic partnerships with organizations working towards this future through other policy spheres. The Urbanist: We are fiscal sponsor for The Urbanist, whose mission is to tell stories that inform and influence the public and their leaders - and win them to our vision: that the Puget Sound regions built environment and social systems support thriving, healthy, sustainable, and just communities. Service House: Urban Sparks is developing a philanthropic living/learning center to provide full-time volunteers like AmeriCorps members with affordable housing and a welcoming and enriching program so that they learn from their elders in service and philanthropy while they serve. Our goal is for the residents to choose to continue to play important roles in philanthropic society as life-long donors, nonprofit managers, direct service providers, social entrepreneurs or civil servants. Seattle CoderDojo: In 2024 the Facebook page disseminated information about internships and scholarships to keep the kids engaged and moving toward future opportunities, while large events were put on hold. The current leadership of Seattle CoderDojo is preparing to hand the project and resources over to new leadership. Urban Sparks continues to manage the financial resources for the project.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 79%; rating input score 79
• Program expense ratio: 91.4%; rating input score 91

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 13.6%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.88; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 22.7%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 16.2% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 22% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings