Community Design Collaborative of Philadelphia
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Only 40% of its spending went to programs.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
IMPROVE PHILADELPHIA AREA NEIGHBORHOODS BY PROVIDING PRO BONO PRELIMINARY ARCHITECTURAL, PLANNING AND DESIGN ASSISTANCE TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
- Income
- $878,867
- Spending
- $628,244
- Spent on programs
- 40%
- Reserves
- 1.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 86%
- Employees
- 7
- Volunteers
- 125
- Highest pay
- $115,702, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 35 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.7 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 61% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 29% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 21% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1540% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 18 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 92% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2516 of 16 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (5)
- $52,585 spent. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA THROUGH ITS DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (DHCD) TO PROVIDE PRELIMINARY DESIGN SERVICES TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS AND NONPROFITS SERVICING LOW TO MODERATE INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE CDBG FUNDS ARE BEING INVESTED FOR HOUSING, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITES.
- $45,327 spent. SERVICE AND PROGRAMS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DESIGN IN COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION THROUGH PROJECTS, PROGRAMS AND PROMOTIONS TO COORDINATE ADDITIONAL PRO BONO DESIGN SERVICE GRANTS TO STRENGTHEN NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH DESIGN.
- $2,577 spent. THE COLLABORATIVE RECEIVED A PLANNING GRANT FROM THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION FOR INFILL PHILADELPHIA: SACRED PLACES/CIVIC SPACES TO DEVELOP, IMPLEMENT AND SHARING NEW MODELS FOR INNOVATIVE USE OF UNDERUTILIZED SACRED PLACES. THE RELATED PROGRAMS, PROJECTS AND PROMOTION PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE THE DESIGN, RELIGIOUS, AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITIES' VOICES, AS WELL AS THE NEIGHBORHOODS', INTO THE CURRENT CONVERSATION ABOUT PRESERVATION AND NEIGHBOORHOOD ASSETS. THE DISCUSSION FOCUSES ON THE NEXUS BETWEEN ACTIVATING UNDERUTILIZED SACRED SPACES, PROVIDING NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES, AND STEWARDING CIVIC SPACES FOR PLACE BASED PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
- $3,402 spent. APPEAL
- $149,768 spent. OTHER PRGRAM EXPENSES
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 1996.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.