Westside Legends Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
871970832
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Pittsfield, MA, USA
Phone
5085798937
Rating
51
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$212,798
Expenses
$58,385
Assets
$385,643
Liabilities
$150,869

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Horace Jackson III (President)
  • Beverly Bolden (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Horace Jackson III (President): $5,150 total reported compensation
  • Marvin Purry (Treasurer): $5,150 total reported compensation
  • Beverly Bolden (Vice President): $1,700 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 the quality of life of others on a Community City County level through such items as education local events fundraisers etc. Also to provide community access for the education research and appreciation of Berkshire County through vehicles such as but not limited to Community Engagement Affordable Housing Farming Economic Diversity Community Revitalization etc.

What it reported doing in 2024

Westside Legends WSL in partnership with Greylock Federal Credit Union a first-time homebuyers program that has facilitated families of color on the purchase of their first homes. This program was initiated after Greylock commissioned a redlining study in 2021 to research lending inequities. Because of the lack of new housing stock WSL is committed to creating quality housing that is available for purchase with the intent of generating generational wealth through equity.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 69% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 83% 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 - Most voting board members are independent and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 38
  • Transparency & Controls: 53
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 74
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 21.4%; rating input score 21
  • Program expense ratio: 77.9%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 22
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 72.6%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.61; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.39; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21.1%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 108.9% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 74% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 21.4% of revenue deployed · 77.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $45K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $5K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 40 of 42 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 21/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 7 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.