Action Council of Monterey County Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Action Council is a regional social equity incubator that serves the Monterey Bay area. Our major programs include: (1) Pathways to Safety, an early intervention and prevention program designed to keep children safe and in their homes and out of the child welfare system. (2) Building Healthy Communities, focused on improving health outcomes for residents of East Salinas. (3) Fiscal Sponsorship of over two dozen community groups.
- Income
- $5.1 million
- Spending
- $7.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 87%
- Reserves
- 3.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 71%
- Employees
- 73
- Volunteers
- 250
- Highest pay
- $132,993, finance dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 55 out of 100. Higher than 14% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 10% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 46% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 36% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1587% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 259 of 9 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 June 30, 2025, 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 (4)
- $3.6 million spent. Building Healthy Communities is focused on improving the health outcomes for residents of the Monterey County. The Action Council acts as a partner and catalyst for community change by (1) serving as co-host for the Monterey County, (2) acting as local intermediary for managing/administering the implementation of grant-funded projects in partnership with grassroots organizations.
- $950,818 spent. The ACTION Council also provides Fiscal Sponsorship to over two dozen coalitions that provide valuable services often unavailable through traditional county programs, thereby saving funders, community members and program implementers tens of thousands of dollars in administrative overhead.
- $941,710 spent. Muejeres en Accion is a women's leadership development project. Using a facilitated peer-support model, this project serves women in the Montery County communities. Mujeres is a peer-empowerment approach to help women support themselves and each other in identifying achievable educational goals and economic self sufficiency.
- $925,705 spent. Pathways to Safety is an early intervention and prevention program designed to keep children safe and out of the child welfare system. This is accomplished through successful family engagement, involving families in setting their goals, linking them to services and resources based on their strengths and needs, and supplement them through this voluntary process. This program received 501 referrals during the year with 372 families during the program year, voluntarily engaged, and after three months of case management, 74% showed measurable improvement.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 1994.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 October 7, 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.