Harrington Group
Harrington Group says it provides auditing, accounting, management consulting, and tax services solely to nonprofit organizations. Harrington Group has offices in Pasadena and Walnut Creek, California.
- Type
- Service
- Cost model
- Quote-based
- Nonprofit terms
- Nonprofit-only firm
- Last reviewed
- October 7, 2026
What is Harrington Group?
Harrington Group says it provides auditing, accounting, management consulting, and tax services solely to nonprofit organizations. Harrington Group has offices in Pasadena and Walnut Creek, California. Use this page to see what it offers and what to ask before you hire a nonprofit audit and accounting firm.
Services
- Financial statement audits
- Uniform Guidance (Single) audits
- Compliance and pension plan audits
- Accounting
- Tax and management consulting
About the firm
Harrington Group was founded by Joseph Harrington in 1994 and is led by managing partner Tonetta L. Conner, CPA. Its team page lists 28 people, 10 of them CPAs, and each partner has more than 20 years in the nonprofit sector. The firm is a member of the AICPA, the California Society of CPAs, the AICPA Government Audit Quality Center and the Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center.
Who it works with
From offices in Pasadena and Walnut Creek, it serves more than 200 California nonprofits, including associations, foundations, legal service and legal aid organizations, private and charter schools, mental health clinics, residential treatment centers and child development centers.
Services and how engagements work
Audit services include financial statement audits, Single Audits under the Uniform Guidance, Yellow Book and pension audits, plus compilations and reviews. Tax work covers Forms 990, 990-T and 990-PF, California Forms 199 and 109, RRF-1 and Form 5500. Advisory work includes government grant and contract negotiation, cost allocation and provisional rates, internal controls and benchmarking, and the firm runs educational symposiums for clients.
Firm details checked on its website on October 7, 2026.
Before you hire an auditor
- License in your state. Audits are performed by licensed CPA firms. Confirm the firm can practice in your state, especially if it works with you remotely.
- Peer review. Ask for the firm’s most recent peer review report.
- Single Audit. If your organization expends $1,000,000 or more in federal awards in a fiscal year, it needs a Single Audit under 2 CFR 200.501. Ask whether the firm performs them.
- Scope and fee. Ask what the engagement letter covers (audit, Form 990, management letter) and how the fee is set.
Before you hire an accounting firm
- Who does the work. Ask who keeps your books and who reviews them.
- Software and access. Ask which accounting system the firm uses and who owns the file if you leave.
- What is included. Check whether Form 990, grant tracking, payroll, and audit support are in the monthly fee or billed separately.
- Contract terms. Ask about minimums, notice periods, and onboarding or cleanup fees.
Details come from the Harrington Group website, checked October 3, 2026.
Federal single audit record
The Federal Audit Clearinghouse, the federal government’s public database of single audits, lists Harrington Group as the auditor on 349 single audits of nonprofit organizations for fiscal years 2021 through 2025. The audited organizations were in California and Colorado.
| Fiscal year | Nonprofit single audits |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 82 |
| 2022 | 72 |
| 2023 | 72 |
| 2024 | 66 |
| 2025 | 57 |
Those organizations reported between $759K and $95.5 million in federal award spending for the year audited (median $2.8 million). The single audit threshold was $750,000 in federal awards spent for fiscal years starting before October 1, 2024, and is $1,000,000 for fiscal years starting on or after that date (how the threshold works).
The largest organizations in the 2025 records include Children's Council of San Francisco, Victor Community Support Services, Inc., Florence Crittenton Services of Orange County, Inc., Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Community Child Care Coordinating Council of Alameda County and Special Service for Groups, Inc. These are public filings, not client endorsements.
Counted from FAC records on October 7, 2026, one report per organization per year. Recent years are incomplete: a single audit is due nine months after the fiscal year ends.
Best For
California nonprofits with government grants and contracts, such as social services, behavioral health and child development agencies, that need Single Audits and cost-allocation help.
Where it stands out
Harrington Group helps with government grant and contract negotiation and provisional cost rates.
Good fit if: You are a California agency with government contracts needing cost allocation and rate help.
Watch for: Mainly an audit firm; no bookkeeping listed.
Published price: Quote (audit, tax and advisory firm)
Before You Hire
Eligibility and availability
Works only with nonprofit organizations.