UTEC Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
383669532
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lowell, MA, USA
Phone
9784419949
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$17,424,219
Expenses
$16,702,650
Assets
$43,102,732
Liabilities
$8,620,478

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Gregg Croteau (Chief Executive Officer)

Highest reported compensation

  • Gregg Croteau (Chief Executive Officer): $274,234 total reported compensation
  • Nichelle Sadler (ED, Training Center for Excellence): $147,937 total reported compensation
  • Tamara Soraluz (Chief Program Officer): $146,862 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 mission of UTEC, Inc. (UTEC) is to ignite and nurture the ambition of young adults to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. UTEC was founded in 1999 by teenagers who established their own drop-in center in Lowell, MA, (See Schedule O)The mission of UTEC, Inc. (UTEC) is to ignite and nurture the ambition of young adults to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. UTEC was founded in 1999 by teenagers who established their own drop-in center in Lowell, MA, as a sanctuary from gang violence. Today, UTEC is nationally recognized for its street outreach and workforce development program model, which is specifically designed to help young adults ages 18-25 overcome the challenges of interrupted education, gang involvement, and incarceration. UTEC operates three social enterprises - Mattress Recycling, Woodworking, and Food Services - that generate revenue to support direct services, and provide job training and employment to young adults.

What it reported doing in 2024

Commercial Kitchen: Cafe UTEC provides youth most in need the opportunity to gain valuable job skills and real earnings to help them pursue positive life choices. Expenses $931,072. Including Grants of $0. Revenue $196,875. Education - prepare young people to take the multi-part GED test to earn a high school equivalency credential. It also piloted a dual enrollment program so that young people can earn college credits for work completed with UTEC.Expenses $956,855. Including Grants of $0. Revenue $24,880. Organizing - organizing promotes civic engagement on local and state levels through community organizing and political action.Expenses $992,206. Including Grants of $0. Revenue $0. Transitional Coaching - creates a service plan to address all of a youth's needs, including but not limited to access to basic services, education, employment, family life, and housing.Expenses $675,269. Including Grants of $0. Revenue $0. Woodworking - UTEC provides the opportunity for youth most in need to gain valuable job skills and real earnings to help them pursue positive live choices while creating professional quality wood products. Expenses $365,046. Including Grants of $0. Revenue $65,931. Housing - to create safe and secure housing provides a foundation for individuals to pursue their goals and build brighter futures. Expenses $490,651 Including Grants of $0. Revenue $0. Other Programs Expenses $1,284,085. Including Grants of $0. Revenue $13,709.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 64% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 56
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 60.9%; rating input score 61
  • Program expense ratio: 61.5%; rating input score 61
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.19 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 4.1%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.58; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.7%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.8% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 60.9% of revenue deployed · 61.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $10.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $274K · 17 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 46/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.