Accelerate - the National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
883207484
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Nashville, TN, USA
Phone
2158508866
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis

Reported finances

Revenue
$14,985,752
Expenses
$15,086,502
Assets
$12,135,619
Liabilities
$451,882

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KEVIN HUFFMAN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • KEVIN HUFFMAN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $495,301 total reported compensation
  • T NAKIA TOWNS (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $306,462 total reported compensation
  • NARRIC ROME (MANAGING DIR. OF FEDERAL & STATE POLICY): $214,768 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Accelerate - the national collaborative for accelerated learning (accelerate) brings evidence-based practices to scale in public education by bridging gaps between research, policy and school systems. Accelerate's vision is that every child in this country will receive an exceptional education that helps them explore and unlock their potential.

What it reported doing in 2024

Accelerate supports the design and implementation of rigorous research and evaluation of educational interventions to better understand what works, for whom, and in what school settings. Accelerate funds and partners with leading research institutions to leverage the existing evidence base in programs around the country while further building the research on what is effective in tutoring to solve barriers to scale and advance student learning.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 73% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 94
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95.7%; rating input score 96
  • Program expense ratio: 94.9%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: $82.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.7%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.8; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.1%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 30.7% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -13.1% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -15.5% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 95.7% of revenue deployed · 94.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $14.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $495K · 13 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $981K reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 70 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 62 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.