Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jan 1972.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
89 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
12 people listed on the 990; $105K paid to officers and key staff.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 3 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Marsella | $82,569 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lisa Ann Marsella | — | $80,283 | $74,050 | $70,084 | $70,084 | $63,655 |
| Anke Wessels | $46,554 | $45,472 | $45,380 | $38,825 | $42,078 | $40,980 |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Promotes transformative action and its relation to social change through educational programs.
Questions for Center for Transformative Action
Your first name shows with your question. Center for Transformative Action answers here, for everyone.
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The organization helps create communities that are socially just, ecologically sound, and work for everyone. We do this through our educational programs, and by supporting system-changing projects with incubator and fiscal sponsorship services.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $1.6M | $1.9M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $10K | $24K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $1.9M | $2.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $224K | $456K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $1.7M | $1.8M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $139K | $139K | ||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $68K | $68K | ||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $113K | $33K | $80K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $932K | $855K | $77K | |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $128K | $112K | $16K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $92K | $55K | $37K | |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $2K | $2K | $60 | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $9K | $9K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $503K | $498K | $5K | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $12K | $12K | $255 | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $23K | $21K | $3K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $75K | $66K | $9K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $37K | $36K | $1K | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $4K | $4K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $26K | $3K | $24K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $241K | $236K | $5K | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $33K | $30K | $3K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $2.4M | $2.2M | $270K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $4.0M | $3.7M | $359K | $2.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $3.3M | $3.8M | −$539K | $2.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $3.9M | $3.5M | $379K | $3.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $3.2M | $2.8M | $432K | $2.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $2.8M | $2.3M | $536K | $2.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 Viewing | $2.6M | $2.4M | $117K | $1.8M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $2,558,572 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 10 of 10 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,558,572 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $2,441,213 across 18 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $2,223,495 assets, 16 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,767,793 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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