Act for Alexandria

Turning ideas into action and resources into results

aka ACT for Alexandria | ALEXANDRIA, VA | www.actforalexandria.org

Mission

To improve the lives of Alexandrians by turning ideas into action and resources into results.

Ruling year info

2009

President & CEO

Ms. Heather A Peeler

Main address

201 N. Union Street Suite 110

ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

26-4322369

Subject area info

Foundations

Community and economic development

Community improvement

Population served info

Adults

NTEE code info

Community Improvement, Capacity Building N.E.C. (S99)

Community Foundations (T31)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Tax forms

Show Forms 990

Programs and results

Reports and documents

What we aim to solve

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Spring2ACTion

Spring2ACTion is an annual day of giving to benefit all nonprofits serving Alexandria that ACT hosts each spring since 2011. In 2018, 156 nonprofits received donations from 9438 unique donors totaling $1.8 million.

Population(s) Served

Adults

IMPACT Forum for Innovation and Philanthropy

The annual IMPACT Forum convenes more than 200 of Alexandria and Northern Virginia's board, business, community, and nonprofit leaders to discuss innovations in philanthropy and nonprofit management. This is the premier gathering of civic leaders in the region. The 2019 IMPACT Forum will focus on racial equity and inclusion.

Population(s) Served

Adults

Where we work

Accreditations

Council on Foundations Accredited

Council on Foundations Standards accreditation 2021

Affiliations & memberships

Citi Foundation's Community Progress Makers Award 2021

External reviews

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

We shared information about our current feedback practices.

How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

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, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Act for Alexandria

Fiscal year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

Yes, financials were audited by an independent accountant.

Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

NET GAIN/LOSS: in

Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Liquidity in 2022

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

13.69

Average of 121.30 over 10 years

Months of cash in 2022

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

7.7

Average of 12.4 over 10 years

Fringe rate in 2022

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

18%

Average of 17% over 10 years

Funding sources

Source: IRS Form 990

Assets & liabilities

Source: IRS Form 990

Financial data

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Digitizing IRS form 990 data

Act for Alexandria

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

Fiscal year ending: Download Data

Revenue
Contributions	$928,443
Government Grants	$0
Program Services	$12,332
Investments	$41,410
Special Events	($11,888)
Sales	$0
Other	$9,176
Total Revenue	$979,473

Expenses
Program Services	$242,003
Administration	$148,552
Fundraising	$50,889
Total Expenses	$441,444
Net Gain/Loss	$538,029

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$3,811
Advertising & Promotion	$957
Information Technology Expenses	$21,570
Insurance Expenses	$1,050
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$2,069
Legal Fees	$343
Pension Plan Contributions	$0
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$508,376
Government Grants	$0
Program Services	$0
Investments	($8,591)
Special Events	($26,488)
Sales	$0
Other	$168
Total Revenue	$473,465

Expenses
Program Services	$474,415
Administration	$101,092
Fundraising	$78,795
Total Expenses	$654,302
Net Gain/Loss	($180,837)

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$18,477
Advertising & Promotion	$0
Information Technology Expenses	$41,455
Insurance Expenses	$1,609
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$0
Legal Fees	$0
Pension Plan Contributions	$0
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$6,285,980
Government Grants	$0
Program Services	$0
Investments	$49,811
Special Events	($17,239)
Sales	$0
Other	$4,747
Total Revenue	$6,323,299

Expenses
Program Services	$794,645
Administration	$171,922
Fundraising	$53,367
Total Expenses	$1,019,934
Net Gain/Loss	$5,303,365

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$16,454
Advertising & Promotion	$26,542
Information Technology Expenses	$64,628
Insurance Expenses	$1,845
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$5,864
Legal Fees	$2,353
Pension Plan Contributions	$5,799
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$2,791,938
Government Grants	$0
Program Services	$0
Investments	$116,016
Special Events	($16,514)
Sales	$0
Other	$7,324
Total Revenue	$2,898,764

Expenses
Program Services	$1,354,293
Administration	$161,602
Fundraising	$52,703
Total Expenses	$1,568,598
Net Gain/Loss	$1,330,166

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$11,851
Advertising & Promotion	$73,868
Information Technology Expenses	$70,049
Insurance Expenses	$1,969
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$14,654
Legal Fees	$1,018
Pension Plan Contributions	$6,097
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$3,173,806
Government Grants	$0
Program Services	$0
Investments	$393,484
Special Events	($1,764)
Sales	$0
Other	$12,724
Total Revenue	$3,578,250

Expenses
Program Services	$1,876,134
Administration	$203,233
Fundraising	$52,980
Total Expenses	$2,132,347
Net Gain/Loss	$1,445,903

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$13,893
Advertising & Promotion	$147,823
Information Technology Expenses	$60,497
Insurance Expenses	$2,476
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$17,422
Legal Fees	$3,500
Pension Plan Contributions	$5,773
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$3,937,768
Government Grants	$0
Program Services	$0
Investments	$482,489
Special Events	($22,724)
Sales	$0
Other	$12,103
Total Revenue	$4,409,636

Expenses
Program Services	$1,949,744
Administration	$90,020
Fundraising	$80,835
Total Expenses	$2,120,599
Net Gain/Loss	$2,289,037

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$16,311
Advertising & Promotion	$8,966
Information Technology Expenses	$18,980
Insurance Expenses	$2,754
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$0
Legal Fees	$1,831
Pension Plan Contributions	$6,019
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$2,035,338
Government Grants	$44,028
Program Services	$0
Investments	$245,968
Special Events	($42,852)
Sales	$0
Other	$12,878
Total Revenue	$2,295,360

Expenses
Program Services	$2,074,104
Administration	$128,318
Fundraising	$86,995
Total Expenses	$2,289,416
Net Gain/Loss	$5,944

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$12,605
Advertising & Promotion	$15,458
Information Technology Expenses	$24,977
Insurance Expenses	$5,204
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$31,372
Legal Fees	$1,574
Pension Plan Contributions	$7,201
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$2,877,807
Government Grants	$0
Program Services	$0
Investments	$247,219
Special Events	($62,052)
Sales	$0
Other	$31,509
Total Revenue	$3,094,483

Expenses
Program Services	$2,264,105
Administration	$142,363
Fundraising	$92,480
Total Expenses	$2,498,948
Net Gain/Loss	$595,535

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$13,000
Advertising & Promotion	$21,694
Information Technology Expenses	$18,066
Insurance Expenses	$3,609
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$28,970
Legal Fees	$1,699
Pension Plan Contributions	$10,080
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$2,771,140
Government Grants	$0
Program Services	$101,410
Investments	$716,204
Special Events	($104,200)
Sales	$0
Other	$1,943,694
Total Revenue	$5,428,248

Expenses
Program Services	$2,040,447
Administration	$218,913
Fundraising	$156,596
Total Expenses	$2,415,956
Net Gain/Loss	$3,012,292

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$17,112
Advertising & Promotion	$28,472
Information Technology Expenses	$18,627
Insurance Expenses	$2,908
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$30,528
Legal Fees	$550
Pension Plan Contributions	$12,046
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$3,132,119
Government Grants	$162,083
Program Services	$23,784
Investments	$602,423
Special Events	($47,017)
Sales	$0
Other	$7,704
Total Revenue	$3,881,096

Expenses
Program Services	$1,826,127
Administration	$453,726
Fundraising	$257,039
Total Expenses	$2,536,892
Net Gain/Loss	$1,344,204

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$20,496
Advertising & Promotion	$6,609
Information Technology Expenses	$19,033
Insurance Expenses	$4,125
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$40,987
Legal Fees	$125
Pension Plan Contributions	$15,957
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$2,981,741
Government Grants	$163,055
Program Services	$54,686
Investments	$548,897
Special Events	($80,558)
Sales	$0
Other	$3,679
Total Revenue	$3,671,500

Expenses
Program Services	$2,343,675
Administration	$432,111
Fundraising	$455,152
Total Expenses	$3,230,938
Net Gain/Loss	$440,562

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$20,250
Advertising & Promotion	$4,439
Information Technology Expenses	$23,953
Insurance Expenses	$3,646
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$42,450
Legal Fees	$125
Pension Plan Contributions	$10,851
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$5,135,966
Government Grants	$5,144,977
Program Services	$46,081
Investments	$574,210
Special Events	($48,298)
Sales	$0
Other	$265,305
Total Revenue	$11,118,241

Expenses
Program Services	$9,453,915
Administration	$410,865
Fundraising	$448,923
Total Expenses	$10,313,703
Net Gain/Loss	$804,538

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$35,228
Advertising & Promotion	$48,749
Information Technology Expenses	$19,718
Insurance Expenses	$3,508
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$44,132
Legal Fees	$125
Pension Plan Contributions	$23,491
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$25,000

Revenue
Contributions	$5,319,705
Government Grants	$226,056
Program Services	$58,908
Investments	$1,679,851
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$333,221
Total Revenue	$7,617,741

Expenses
Program Services	$2,961,717
Administration	$420,552
Fundraising	$459,825
Total Expenses	$3,842,094
Net Gain/Loss	$3,775,647

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$21,520
Advertising & Promotion	$245,884
Information Technology Expenses	$0
Insurance Expenses	$3,764
Interest Expenses	$0
Investment Management Fees	$48,269
Legal Fees	$0
Pension Plan Contributions	$12,777
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Revenue
Contributions	$2,587,245
Government Grants	$3,329,593
Program Services	$0
Investments	$467,104
Special Events	$33,683
Sales	$0
Other	$184,212
Total Revenue	$6,601,837

Expenses
Program Services	$7,250,819
Administration	$461,725
Fundraising	$495,161
Total Expenses	$8,207,705
Net Gain/Loss	($1,605,868)

Functional expenses
Accounting Fees	$51,286
Advertising & Promotion	$0
Information Technology Expenses	$17,371
Insurance Expenses	$5,679
Interest Expenses	$480
Investment Management Fees	$53,930
Legal Fees	$31,805
Pension Plan Contributions	$23,204
Professional Fundraising Expenses	$0

Act for Alexandria

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Fiscal year ending: Download Data

Assets	Jan 09, 2009	Dec 31, 2009	Change
Contributions	$928,443
Cash & Equivalents	$0	$74,008	$74,008
Accounts Receivable	$0	$0	$0
Pledges & Grants Receivable	$0	$0	$0
Receivable, Other	$0	$0	$0
Inventories for Sale or Use	$0	$0	$0
Investment, Securities	$0	$681,578	$681,578
Investment, Other	$0	$0	$0
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$5,401	$5,401
Other	$0	$781	$781
Total Assets	$0	$761,768	$761,768

Liabilities	Jan 09, 2009	Dec 31, 2009	Change
Accounts Payable	$0	$3,828	$3,828
Grants Payable	$0	$0	$0
Deferred Revenue	$0	$0	$0
Loans and Notes	$0	$0	$0
Tax-Exempt Bond Liabilities	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Liabilities	$0	$3,828	$3,828

Fund balance	Jan 09, 2009	Dec 31, 2009	Change
Temporarily Restricted Net Assets	$0	$0	$0
Permanently Restricted Net Assets	$0	$0	$0
Total Restricted Net Assets	$0	$0	$0
Unrestricted Net Assets	$0	$757,940	$757,940
Net Assets	$0	$757,940	$757,940

Assets	Jan 01, 2010	Dec 31, 2010	Change
Contributions	$508,376
Cash & Equivalents	$11,166	$80,196	$69,030
Accounts Receivable	$0	$7,486	$7,486
Pledges & Grants Receivable	$0	$90,000	$90,000
Receivable, Other	$0	$0	$0
Inventories for Sale or Use	$0	$0	$0
Investment, Securities	$681,578	$485,030	($196,548)
Investment, Other	$0	$0	$0
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$5,401	$6,129	$728
Other	$63,622	$37,701	($25,921)
Total Assets	$761,767	$706,542	($55,225)

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2010	Dec 31, 2010	Change
Accounts Payable	$3,828	$17,046	$13,218
Grants Payable	$0	$42,050	$42,050
Deferred Revenue	$0	$0	$0
Loans and Notes	$0	$0	$0
Tax-Exempt Bond Liabilities	$0	$0	$0
Other	$403	$12,808	$12,405
Total Liabilities	$4,231	$71,904	$67,673

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2010	Dec 31, 2010	Change
Temporarily Restricted Net Assets	$0	$111,999	$111,999
Permanently Restricted Net Assets	$0	$0	$0
Total Restricted Net Assets	$0	$111,999	$111,999
Unrestricted Net Assets	$757,536	$522,639	($234,897)
Net Assets	$757,536	$634,638	($122,898)

Assets	Jan 01, 2011	Dec 31, 2011	Change
Contributions	$6,285,980
Cash & Equivalents	$80,196	$2,077,174	$1,996,978
Accounts Receivable	$7,486	$5,175	($2,311)
Pledges & Grants Receivable	$90,000	$0	($90,000)
Receivable, Other	$0	$0	$0
Inventories for Sale or Use	$0	$0	$0
Investment, Securities	$485,030	$3,637,103	$3,152,073
Investment, Other	$0	$0	$0
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$6,129	$5,143	($986)
Other	$37,701	$204	($37,497)
Total Assets	$706,542	$5,724,799	$5,018,257

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2011	Dec 31, 2011	Change
Accounts Payable	$17,046	$13,052	($3,994)
Grants Payable	$42,050	$0	($42,050)
Deferred Revenue	$0	$0	$0
Loans and Notes	$0	$0	$0
Tax-Exempt Bond Liabilities	$0	$0	$0
Other	$12,808	$15,358	$2,550
Total Liabilities	$71,904	$28,410	($43,494)

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

Documents

Letter of Determination

Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

President & CEO

Ms. Heather A Peeler

Ms. Peeler came to ACT from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (www.GEOfunders.org), which is dedicated to effective philanthropy and nonprofit success. As Vice President of Member and Partner Engagement, she mobilized a national network of more than 5,000 grantmakers in adopting practices to make the greatest impact on nonprofit performance. Heather previously served as Chief Strategy Officer at the Corporation for National and Community Service and as Managing Director at Community Wealth Partners. She regularly writes and speaks about capacity building, community engagement, collaboration, and learning and evaluation. Her own community involvement includes serving as Chair of the Board of Fair Chance, an organization that builds the capacity of grassroots youth-serving organizations, and as a Commissioner on the Washington, D.C. Commission on Out of School Time Grant and Youth Outcomes. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Wellesley College, and MBA from UCLA.

Number of employees

Source: IRS Form 990

Act for Alexandria

Officers, directors, trustees, and key employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation

Other

Show data for fiscal year

Compensation data

Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

Act for Alexandria

Highest paid employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation

Other

Show data for fiscal year

Compensation data

Download up to 5 most recent years of highest paid employee data for this organization

Act for Alexandria

Board of directors
as of 10/14/2022

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Board of directors data

Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization

Board co-chair

Molly Dahl

Board co-chair

Ms. Karen Avery

Isaacson, Miller Inc

Term: 2020 - 2024

John Armstrong

Joy Riot Agency

David Baker

Virginia Tech

Virginia Bennett

Consultant

Julia Burgos

ACPS

Scott Darling

Dyson Capital Advisors

Rose Dawson

Alexandria Public Library

Maureen Devine-Ahl

Candor and Company

Jennifer Ferrara

John Marshall Bank

Laurie Flynn

Retired

Christopher Foster

Omnicom Group

Lisa Guernsey

New America Foundation

Charles Holt

Verdence Capital Advisors

Bryan Jackson

Nonprofit HR

Mark Jinks

Retired

Basim Khan

Neighborhood Health

Joseph LaMountain

Reingold

Stephanie Landrum

Alexandria Economic Development Partnership

Brian Lundeen

Grobstein Teeple, LLP

Peter Madigan

University of Maine

Peter McElwain

Lori Morris

Bruhn-Morris Foundation

Erik Muendel

ESP Coffee & Tea

Phyllis Patterson

Patterson Real Estate

Betsey Rosenbaum

Retired

Amy Rutherford

Red Barn Mercantile/Penny Post

Rabbi David Spinrad

Beth El Hebrew Congregation

C. Eugene Steuerle

The Urban Institute

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/14/2022

Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity

Black/African American

Gender identity

Female

Sexual orientation

Heterosexual or Straight

Disability status

Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 09/15/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data

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 employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
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.

Policies and processes

We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
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 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.

Act for Alexandria

Turning ideas into action and resources into results

Mission

Programs and results

Reports and documents

What we aim to solve

Our programs

Spring2ACTion

IMPACT Forum for Innovation and Philanthropy

Where we work

Accreditations

Affiliations & memberships

How we listen

Financials

Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown

Liquidity in 2022 info

13.69

Months of cash in 2022 info

7.7

Fringe rate in 2022 info

18%

Funding sources info

Assets & liabilities info

Financial data

Digitizing IRS form 990 data

Act for Alexandria

Act for Alexandria

Operations

Documents

President & CEO

Ms. Heather A Peeler

Number of employees

Act for Alexandria

Compensation data

Act for Alexandria

Compensation data

Act for Alexandria

Board of directors data

Molly Dahl

Ms. Karen Avery

Board leadership practices

Board orientation and education

CEO oversight

Ethics and transparency

Board composition

Board performance

Organizational demographics

Leadership

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Liquidity in 2022

Months of cash in 2022

Fringe rate in 2022

Funding sources

Assets & liabilities