Alabama Forward is a 501(c)(3) civic engagement coordinating table committed to advancing freedom movement and progressive, solution-oriented policy among a coalition of organizational partners, in order for every alabamian to engage in the democratic process.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
93¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$169K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2022 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 4
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $737K a year · 31% of revenue · last 4 filings
Fine: a surplus in 3 of the last 4 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 4 filings
Spent on programs
93%
of spending
Looks good: 93% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$169K
to officers and key staff · 11% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 11% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
15 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 14.6 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $25K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$0
0% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 0% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
12
of 12 voting members
Looks good: 12 of 12 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$3.2M
+579% vs prior year
Spent
$1.5M
To programs
93%
Net assets
$2.0M
By yearFY2021–FY2024
Revenue
$3.2M
FY2022▲ +579%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2021$473K
FY2022$3.2M
FY2023$2.0M
FY2024$3.7M
Expenses
$1.5M
FY2022▲ +111%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2021$719K
FY2022$1.5M
FY2023$1.8M
FY2024$2.4M
Net assets
$2.0M
FY2022▲ ×10
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2021−$244K
FY2022$2.0M
FY2023$2.1M
FY2024$3.5M

From the FY2022 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2022 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Apr 2021.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

93 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 93% · $1.4M Management & general 7% · $112K

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

14 people listed on the 990; $169K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director
$86,000Pt VII · Sec A
Deputy Director
$83,176Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Vice Chairman
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Deanna Fowler’s $92K as Executive Director is at the 19th percentile of top reported officer pay among 797 $1–10M civil rights & advocacy nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021
Evan Milligan—$108,426$86,000$86,380
Deanna Fowler$92,132$90,360$83,176$69,448

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.

See Alabama Forward executive salaries →

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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 15aNo

Programs and updates

Connects Alabama groups to advance freedom, progressive policy, and democratic engagement for all.

Questions for Alabama Forward

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Provided by the organization

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2 programs · $1.4M · in their own filed words · FY2022
01

Alabama forward provides a variety of capacity-building services, programs, and resources to its network of member organizations, including subgrants, trainings, techinical assistance, access to capacity-building tools and resources, and programs that amplify their individual missions and activities.

$759Kprogram expense
02

Shake the field is a narrative campaign, interactive website, community, and lifestyle brand targeting alabamians between the ages of 18-45 who live in the state of alabama AND/OR in the alabama diaspora.

$644Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$25K
Grants paid · 81 grants · $2.8M · 2021–2024
Transform AlabamaFY2024$139,606
GaspAL · FY2024$70,500
NAACP AlabamaMD · FY2024$67,675
Hometown Organizing ProjectAL · FY2024$61,750
Alabama Coalition for Immigrant JusticeFY2024$61,000
Project Say SomethingAL · FY2024$60,000
Alabama Justice InitiativeAL · FY2024$51,000
United Women of ColorAL · FY2024$49,430
South Alabama Black Women's RoundtableAL · FY2024$46,000
AkeepAL · FY2024$40,000
Alabama Rivers Alliance INCAL · FY2024$33,500
Metro Montgomery County NAACPFY2024$30,650
See all 81 grants →

By the numbers

The FY2022 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$3.2M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$3.2M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$4K
Investment incomeLn 3$169
Money outPt IX
$1.5M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.4M
Managementcol C$112K
Owns and owesPt X
$2.0M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.8M
Total assetsLn 16$2.0M
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
PeoplePt VI, VII
14
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a12
IndependentVI 1b12
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$3.2M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$4K
Investment incomeLn 3$169
Total revenueLn 12$3.2M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$1.8M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$1.8M
Other assetsLn 15$2K
Total assetsLn 16$2.0M
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
Net assetsLn 32$2.0M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 52
VolunteersI 60
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY22End FY22
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$143K$1.8M
Total assetsLn 16$1.6M$2.0M
LiabilitiesLn 26$1.8M$0
Net assetsLn 32−$244K$2.0M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$759K$759K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$169K$140K$29K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$79K$66K$14K
Payroll taxesLn 10$19K$16K$3K
Accounting feesLn 11c$6K$5K$1K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$266K$221K$45K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$3K$3K$521
Office expensesLn 13$3K$3K$593
OccupancyLn 16$12K$10K$2K
TravelLn 17$30K$25K$5K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$7K$6K$1K
InsuranceLn 23$16K$13K$3K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$136K$129K$7K
All other expensesLn 24e$8K$7K$1K
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.5M$1.4M$112K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest $3.7M$2.4M$1.3M$3.5M 990 PDF
FY2023 $2.0M$1.8M$170K$2.1M 990 PDF
FY2022 Viewing $3.2M$1.5M$1.7M$2.0M 990 PDF
FY2021 $473K$719K−$246K−$244K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2022 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $3,212,039 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $0$3,207,830
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $472,901$4,040
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $60$169
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $472,961$3,212,039
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $306,647$759,046
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $105,723$267,663
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $306,188$487,765
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $718,558$1,514,474
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$245,597$1,697,565
Part VI · Governance 12 of 12 board members independent, 3 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body12
VI-1b Independent voting members12
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,212,039 across 5 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$3,207,830
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$3,207,830
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $4,040$4,040
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $169$169
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $4,040 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $169$3,212,039
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,514,474 across 14 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $759,046$759,046
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $140,416 · Management $28,760$169,176
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $65,957 · Management $13,509$79,466
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $15,787 · Management $3,234$19,021
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $4,980 · Management $1,020$6,000
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $220,872 · Management $45,239$266,111
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $2,541 · Management $521$3,062
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $2,893 · Management $593$3,486
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $9,809 · Management $2,009$11,818
IX-17 TravelPrograms $25,191 · Management $5,159$30,350
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $6,002 · Management $1,229$7,231
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $13,215 · Management $2,706$15,921
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $129,189 · Management $6,523$135,712
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $6,873 · Management $1,201$8,074
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,402,771 · Management $111,703 · Fundraising $0$1,514,474
Part X · Balance sheet $1,990,810 assets, 10 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $143,247$1,838,760
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $895,000$0
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $550,000$150,000
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $0$2,050
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $1,588,247$1,990,810
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $155,684$0
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $1,676,335$0
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $1,832,019$0
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year −$243,772$1,990,810
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $1,588,247$1,990,810
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,990,810 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$3,212,039
XI-2 Total expenses$1,514,474
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$1,697,565
XI-4 Net assets at start of year−$243,772
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$537,017
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$1,990,810

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2022 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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