Polaris Project

“The form 990 was prepared by the outside accountants. It was then reviewed by senior management staff and the board of directors' finance committee. Once the committee's comments were addressed, the full board of directors reviewed the form 990 and voted on its approval prior to filing with the internal revenue service.”

“Polaris has a detailed ethics and conflict of interest policy described in its organizational policy manual. It was last updated by the board of directors in 2009. Procedures include the duty to disclose, determining whether a conflict of interest exists, and addressing any real or potential conflicts. Polaris implements this practice before every significant discussion and board vote. An interested person is expected to disclose conflicts in all other situations. If a conflict or perceived conflict of interest occurs, the interested person recuses himself/herself from voting on the related matter.”

“The process for determining the compensation of polaris' ceo included a review of region-specific salary surveys within the non-profit sector and comparisons of form 990 information of similarly-sized organizations within the field and related fields. The research and review process for determining the compensation are substantiated in the minutes and associated records of the board and relevant board committees. The last salary review date was in december 2017. The process for determining the compensation of other officers or key employees of polaris included a review of region-specific salary surveys within the non-profit sector and comparisons of federal form 990 information of similarly-sized organizations within the field and related fields. The research and review process for determining the compensation are substantiated in the human resource files and/or the minutes and associated records of the board and relevant board committees, depending on the position.”

“Polaris provides the following governing documents to the public through its own website or third-party websites: bylaws, articles of incorporation, mission and values statements, and audited financial statements. These documents can also be requested by contacting the office. Additional financial and governance documents, including conflict of interest policies, may be shared with the public upon request.”

“Consulting & professional fees: program service expenses 803,948. Management and general expenses 404,284. Fundraising expenses 87,434. Total expenses 1,295,666. Programmatic subcontracts: program service expenses 7,830. Management and general expenses 3,937. Fundraising expenses 852. Total expenses 12,619.”