Mission: As a college access organization, the Fulfillment Fund is dedicated to making college a reality for students growing up in educationally and economically under-resourced communities.
Through classroom instruction, college counseling, and scholarships, we transform the lives of students, beginning in high school and extending to college graduation.
Our impact spans beyond the students we serve directly. They, in turn, influence siblings, peers, and their community by becoming role models, volunteers, mentors, and donors.
Fulfillment Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1978, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Contact Information
6100 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite 600
Los Angeles CA 90048
Important note on the timeliness of ratings
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Financial and Accountability & Transparency score for Fulfillment Fund is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations.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.
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Star Rating System by Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator evaluates a nonprofit organization’s financial health including measures of stability, efficiency and sustainability. We also track accountability and transparency policies to ensure the good governance and integrity of the organization.
Needs Improvement
This charity's score is 77.06, earning it a 2-Star rating. Charity Navigator believes donors can "Give with Confidence" to charities with 3- and 4-Star ratings.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 67.57 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 100.00 View details
This score represents Form 990 data from 2020, the latest year published by the IRS.
This organization has issued a response to this rating. View this organization’s historical ratings.
Star Rated Report
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Program Expense Ratio
76.5%
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. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Administrative Expenses
6.4%
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Expenses
17.0%
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
31.3%
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency
$0.23
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Working Capital Ratio
0.35 years
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Growth
-9.70%
We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
Governance
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
| Governance: | |
|---|---|
| Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) | |
| No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
| |
| Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
| |
| Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) | |
| Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) | |
| Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) | |
| Compensates Board ... (More) |
Policies
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Policies: | |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest ... (More) | |
| Whistleblower ... (More) | |
| Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) | |
| CEO Compensation Process ... (More) | |
| Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) |
Transparency
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Transparency: | |
|---|---|
| CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) | |
| Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Audited Financial Statements on Website ... (More) | |
| Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) |
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. 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
Christine Joanne Uy Reyes, President
$225,525 (6.50% of Total Expenses)
Allysunn Walker-Williams, CEO
$176,263 (5.08% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Business Master File Data
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
Activities:
Described in section 170(b)1)(a)(vi) of the Code (BMF activity code: 994)
Aid to the handicapped (see also 031) (BMF activity code: 160)
Job training, counseling, or assistance (BMF activity code: 566)
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)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
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 view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Pandemic Response
Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Fulfillment Fund reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Grants Received
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
The pandemic necessitated a reduction in our overall budget due to high fundraising uncertainty (e.g., no event-based fundraising), as well as a shift in the delivery method of our programs (to primarily virtual sessions). However, the pandemic conditions also made it possible for us to optimize our efficiency with expenditures related to leases and rents, reducing our overall costs as we navigated a newly distributed workforce model.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
We were not able to be on campus for many of our services provided by our College Access Program, as well as some services from our College Success Program, as schools and campus were closed. We were fully online and virtual a week after the pandemic was announced.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Our College Success Program already offered many services virtually due to the physical locations of our students being so spread out. This made our transition to virtual service delivery very smooth and we were able to continue to connect with our students as we would regularly, only online instead.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We have found that more professionals are willing to volunteer for networking engagement with our students when the events are virtual. We may also continue to provide student events around college access virtually so that we can provide support to students nationally.
Official Charity Response
Charity Navigator financial ratings are based on averages from FY2017-2020. From FY2013 through FY2019 the Fulfillment Fund went through a period of transition, requiring dipping into our net asset reserves and leading to the intentional realignment of revenues and expenditures. This recent groundwork in careful financial stewardship and strategic organizational management afforded us a greater position than most when the pandemic hit in FY2020, as we were in a good situation to understand the most critical line items to keep and where cuts could be made to maintain fiscal health while still supporting more students than ever before and remaining proactively supportive of their needs. Fortunately, despite beginning FY2021 with our leanest budget in over a decade, our program team excelled at doing more with less, our fundraising efforts were successful, and we also secured two PPP loans, leading to a modest revenue surplus and enabling us to continue the important process of rebuilding our net assets. Once again we will end FY2022 with our books in the black for the third year in a row after seven years in the red.
Historical Ratings
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 3/1/2022 | 2020 | 77.06 | |
| 5/1/2021 | 2019 | 74.67 | |
| 4/1/2021 | 2019 | 74.19 | |
This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. | |||
| 9/3/2019 | 2018 | 80.08 |  |
| 2/1/2019 | 2017 | 80.31 | |
| 12/22/2017 | 2016 | 82.08 | |
| 8/1/2016 | 2015 | 83.37 | |
| 6/1/2016 | 2014 | 91.40 |  |
| Rating Version: 2.0 | |||
| 10/1/2015 | 2014 | 86.36 | |
| 9/1/2015 | 2014 | 84.30 | |
| 8/1/2014 | 2013 | 95.05 | |
| 5/1/2013 | 2012 | 90.44 | |
| 6/1/2012 | 2011 | 80.74 | |
| 12/1/2011 | 2010 | 77.69 | |
| 9/20/2011 | 2009 | 76.25 | |
| Rating Version: 1.0 | |||
| 6/1/2010 | 2009 | 64.41 |  |
| 10/1/2009 | 2008 | 76.96 | |
| 9/1/2008 | 2007 | 74.59 | |
| 4/1/2007 | 2006 | 69.48 | |
| 9/1/2006 | 2005 | 79.83 | |
| 5/1/2005 | 2003 | 70.95 | |
| 4/1/2004 | 2002 | 81.21 | |
Previous: Finance & Accountability / Next: Leadership & Adaptability
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
Fulfillment Fund cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating 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.
Do you work at Fulfillment Fund? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
Fulfillment Fund reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
$1,528,408
Spent in most recent FY
55%
Percent of program expenses
College Access Program
$1,094,574
Spent in most recent FY
39%
Percent of program expenses
College Success Program
$142,866
Spent in most recent FY
5%
Percent of program expenses
Mentoring Program
Previous: Impact & Results / Next: Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
This score 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.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by Fulfillment Fund is a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of the organization's Leadership & Adaptability through the nonprofit organization submitting a survey response directly to Charity Navigator.
Leadership & Adaptability Report
100
of 100 points
Mission
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s mission
Fulfillment Fund is a life-changing college access and success organization that helps make college a reality for first-generation and lower-income students. We partner with local high schools to serve students growing up in educationally and economically under-resourced communities. We also collaborate with the school district and other community organizations to serve the needs of our students. Our unique model includes two primary service lines: College Access and College Success. Together these programs empower students to not only access and afford higher education, but also to graduate college successfully while building crucial life skills to help transition into the workforce.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
All students, regardless of their circumstances, will one day have the opportunity to attend college, graduate, and actively participate in transforming their communities.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Strategic Goals
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: We have launched a strategic planning process and are exploring ways to deepen and expand our core service areas. We are also re-branding and preparing for tech upgrades to better serve our students.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Two: We are continuing to test new models of service delivery to be responsive to students' experiences. We are working with them through different organizations and using new program tools.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: We have developed new modes of social-emotional and wellness interventions for both our high schoolers and our college students to help them acknowledge their trauma and rebuild engagement.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
From our Board of Directors to the Executive Management team, we as an organization believe in investing in leadership development at all levels of staff. Examples of this include over the past year include our Board and CEO continuing to engage the services of Zenger Folkman to provide professional development, Mzima Consulting to provide leadership development and staff trainings (including a DISC assessment of each staff member) and partnering with MMR Strategy to launch our new strategic planning process, with one of the focus areas to include staff leadership development.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Mobilizing for Mission
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Policy Advocacy
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
Fulfillment Fund is a Founding Member of the Southern California College Access Network, a consortium of 100+ college access organizations. In addition to being a Founding Member, we serve on its Steering Committee, which serves as its de facto Board of Directors. We also regularly contribute to discussions with the Los Angeles Unified School District at the District, Local District, Community of Schools, and local area school partner level, advocating for the students we serve and their most current and salient needs. We also participate in local, statewide, and federal conversations and advocacy through our membership in the National College Attainment Network, National Association of College Admissions Counseling, California Association of Nonprofits, and other advocacy organizations. Finally, we consistently share information with all of our audiences through our various communication channels (e-newsletter, social media, annual reports, white papers, etc.).
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Story of Adaptability
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
This past Fall, as students across Los Angeles returned to their respective school campuses (many for the first time since the shutdown began), Fulfillment Fund staff also returned to support our students and partner schools with in-person services. And in addition to face masks and hand sanitizer, this year our program staff had other new tools in their belts: concrete social-emotional interventions to help our students rebuild connections (to their sense of purpose, their peers, their educational community) and formalized, validated wellness checks to screen for needs and help students access a wide array of supportive services through our organizational partners. The pandemic was a crisis in so many ways, but in every crisis, we believe there are incredible opportunities. We learned quite quickly that our workforce could easily adapt to working from home and do so very effectively. Thus, we created a structure of a permanently distributed workforce, allowing everyone to spend most of the week working from home, and then when it was safe to re-open our offices, to come in 2-3 days a week as needed. This helped not only with overall job satisfaction and employee retention, we were also able to save almost 50% on our lease. Because of the extreme adversity faced by our students and families, we continue to prioritize mental well-being for our front-line program staff, including creating a Summer of Wellness program last year that culminated in our first in-person gathering since the start of the pandemic -- our Staff Retreat -- which set us forth reinvigorated for the school year ahead.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Additional Information
Unscored
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Organization Leadership
Joanne Reyes
CEO
Wendy Spinner
Board Chair
Previous: Leadership & Adaptability
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. Learn more about how and why we rate Culture & Community.
Culture & Community Score
100
out of 100
Fulfillment Fund has earned a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating. The organization provided data about how it listens to constituents (Constituent Feedback) and its Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) practices (see report below).
The Culture & Community Beacon is comprised of the following metrics:
Constituent Feedback: 100/100 (30% of beacon score)
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: 100/100 (70% of beacon score)
Culture & Community Report
100
of 100 points
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
100/100 points
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 100 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 13 diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
View this organization's DEI Strategies
Methodology
We are utilizing data collected by Candid to document and assess the DEI practices implemented by the organization. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the Equity Strategies section of their Candid profiles to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Constituent Feedback
100/100 points
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.
View this organization's Constituent Feedback Practices
Methodology
We've partnered with Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Below you can find more information about the metrics we currently evaluate in this beacon and their relevance to nonprofit performance.
Constituent Feedback
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
