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2543 CALIFORNIA ST
Denver CO 80205-2929
Denver CO | IRS ruling year: 1981 | EIN: 84-0829068
Organization Mission
We strengthen communities and provide pathways to economic and personal opportunity through affordable housing, educational programs and support services.
Great
This charity's score is 100%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores, weighted as follows: 80% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Hope Communities Inc. is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Hope Communities Inc. has earned a 100% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
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Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not ApplicableBoard Composition - 12/12 - 25/25 ptsBoard Composition - 12/12 - 25/25 pts
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - Audited - 20/20 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - Audited - 20/20 pts
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
|---|---|
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsConflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 ptsBoard Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Listed - 3/3 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Website - Listed - 3/3 ptsWebsite - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 42.55% - 15/15 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 42.55% - 15/15 pts
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
| Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| Less than 50% | Full Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
| 60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Ratio - 74.96% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 74.96% - 25/25 pts
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
| Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| 70% or higher | Full Credit |
| 60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
| Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Hope Communities Inc.) or EIN (840829068) in the 'Search Term' field.
Not Currently Scored
Hope Communities Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Hope Communities Inc. reported its two largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
Programs: Real Estate Development, Affordable Housing with Deeply Supportive ServicesHope Communities was established 41 years ago, in 1980, by visionaries Ray and Marilyn Stranske. It was initiated a ... (More)
Programs: Real Estate Development, Affordable Housing with Deeply Supportive ServicesHope Communities was established 41 years ago, in 1980, by visionaries Ray and Marilyn Stranske. It was initiated as a means to provide training, support services and housing to low-income individuals and families either experiencing or at the brink of homelessness. They quickly realized that people had a difficult time advancing toward self-sufficiency if they did not have a safe place to call home. They began a quest to offer quality, affordable housing with supportive programs and services, which has been vitally important ever since. Over the years, Hope has built, purchased or renovated nearly 800 rental units for low-income renters.The organization's genesis occurred in the historic Five Points neighborhood, though over the years they expanded their inventory to provide rental units in multiple neighborhoods in Denver. They were the first to build a new mixed-use, mixed income TOD building on Denver's Welton Street light rail line with 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), renovated a 130-unit apartment complex in East Denver and purchased 93 townhouses in North Park Hill. Most recently, Hope purchased and renovated an historic building in Five Points to use as a community center with Historic and New Market Tax Credits.Hope currently holds 278 affordable units across Denver. The organization continues to seek opportunities for future housing development in a city that desperately needs affordable homes for its current employees and others migrating to the Mile-High City. They continue to offer a full array of programs and services that are customized by property, informed by resident need and geared to support equitable access to opportunity. (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
Programs: Education, Resource Navigation, basic needs, employment, health &wellness, refugee integration programs and Services for Adults and Children.We create and offer residents and individuals fro ... (More)
Programs: Education, Resource Navigation, basic needs, employment, health &wellness, refugee integration programs and Services for Adults and Children.We create and offer residents and individuals from area neighborhoods qualityeducational and enrichment o (Less)
Hope Communities Inc. has earned a 95% for the Culture & Community beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
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Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 ptsConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 pts
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
Hope Communities serves economically-disadvantaged neighbors in the Metro Denver area. Hope's properties have distinct demographics, with all residents qualifying for low-income rents. Approximately 94% of Hope's clients are Black, Indian, or People of Color (BIPOC), and about 50% are refugees. Sixty-five percent of households across all Hope Communities properties have dependents, many of which are single-parent families. About half of our clients are refugees who had to quickly evacuate their home countries of Burma and Afghanistan, for example, and had to rebuild their lives in Colorado. Our multi-generational holistic approach focuses on serving each person in a family including children and seniors.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Paper surveys, Case management notes, Community meetings or town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our community partners
How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship with them or shifted power - over decisions, resources, rules or in other ways - to them?
Our engagement with clients is key to establishing trust and credibility within the community. Without that trust, we cannot effectively serve their needs and understand how to adapt programs and services to best support them. Our services are customized to fit the individuals' or families' needs to give them what they need to thrive and achieve self-sufficiency. With our refugee clients, our staff speaks the languages and represent the backgrounds of our clients, which really empowers them at a time in their life when they are overwhelmed and overcome with grief.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
We don't have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
We align our program design and implementation with the feedback we receive during one-on-one navigation between clients and our community navigators, focus groups, surveys, and beyond. During Covid, we have leveraged community partnerships to offer education and resources about the pandemic and distributed vaccines, knowing that a lot of our clients were not able to access information they needed to navigate the pandemic. Over the past two years, our clients have faced significant job loss, food insecurity, technological challenges and access issues, stable childcare and beyond. We've provided digital literacy training, invited employers to meet clients onsite, started a bi-monthly food distribution, and assisted with identifying childcare options and other barriers to employment.
Equity Practices - Data Available - 93/100 ptsEquity Practices - Data Available - 93/100 pts
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 93 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 8 Equity Practices. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective equity policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Equity Practices (4/7) | |
|---|---|
We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. | |
We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and/or portfolios. | |
We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization/'s programs, portfolios, and the populations served. | |
We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support. | |
We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. | |
We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured | |
We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Equity Policies and Procedures (4/7) | |
|---|---|
We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity. | |
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. | |
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization. | |
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board. | |
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. | |
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. | |
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Hope Communities Inc. has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableMission - 10/10 ptsMission - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
We strengthen communities and provide pathways to economic and personal opportunity through affordable housing, educational programs and support services.
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
A community in which everyone has a safe place to call home and the resources they need to thrive.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals - 20/20 ptsGoals - 20/20 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Maintain integrity and utility of current properties and plan for renovation as needed to better serve our clients.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Institutionalize Hope's housing stability program by gaining housing at Hope, strengthening community partnerships, and integrating resource navigation and economic mobility programs.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
Goal Three: Recruit and hire quality staff. Provide an inclusive and empowering environment for employees to foster pride, opportunity and retention. Endeavor to hire staff who are reflective of those we serve.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Leadership Development - 15/15 ptsLeadership Development - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Hope Communities gives residents unique opportunities for leadership development through leadership training, council meetings, navigation, and community events. Internally, Hope staff are encouraged to set professional goals and identify training and professional development opportunities that would support and help them accomplish these goals. Hope provides the training needed to equip employees who are promoted and take on more responsibility and leadership.
Mobilizing for Mission - 15/15 ptsMobilizing for Mission - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Since Hope has established credibility and community presence over the past 42 years, leadership seeks and gets recruited to participate in community and policy discussions related to affordable housing. Hope partners with a variety of other organizations to better serve our community and boost our community presence. Through campaigns, events, news spots, and social media, the organization leverages opportunities for visibility, thought leadership, and storytelling across various mediums.
Adaptability Story - 30/30 ptsAdaptability Story - 30/30 pts
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Due to the pandemic, Hope's high level of responsiveness and adaptable approach to program design and implementation has enabled us to effectively serve our clients and community. We developed a new model for community programs called Tent Topics, in which we host outdoor events where we partner with health organizations, distribute timely education and resources, and facilitate employment opportunities. Additionally, we've deepened our cultural and linguistic navigation services to serve the huge influx of Afghan refugees. Our new Dari and Pashto-speaking navigators have been instrumental in welcoming new Afghan residents and supporting them as they navigate trauma and seek mental health services, healthcare, stable housing, food, and economic security.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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