Advantage Testing Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
208379593
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2127448800
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$448,207
Expenses
$860,411
Assets
$16,059,372
Liabilities
$150,221

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ARUN ALAGAPPAN (PRESIDENT)
  • JOHN MANNING (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • MARTHA MINOW (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JOHN SEXTON (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • SHIRLEY TILGHMAN (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • ARUN ALAGAPPAN (PRESIDENT)
  • JOHN MANNING (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • MARTHA MINOW (VICE PRESIDENT)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to advance the academic and professional aspirations of underrepresented students of modest means, thereby expanding our nation's leadership pool. We provide educational tutoring, standardized test preparation and academic counseling to low-income and other under-represented students and improve their access to institutions of higher learning such as leading colleges and law schools. The advantage testing foundation works with such institutions to deliver special on-site programs and classes and makes contributions to other charitable organizations organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.

What it reported doing in 2024

Trialstrials (the training and recruitment initiative for admission to leading law schools) is a fully subsidized summer study program for aspiring law students who have overcome adversity and whose socioeconomic backgrounds are currently underrepresented in the nation's leading law schools. Harvard law school and the nyu school of law partner with the advantage testing foundation to deliver the annual residential program. Students who participate develop the skills and credentials they need to earn admission to law school. At the beginning of the program, students take a diagnostic lsat (the standardized admission exam for law school). The median starting lsat score for our students is at the 44th percentile. To date, the median test score increase for trials students who have taken the official lsat is more than 40 percentile points. Trials students have earned admission to all of the top 14 law schools in the nation including harvard, yale, nyu, stanford, columbia, and the university of chicago.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 67% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 76% for direct work, and 24% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 92.9%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -92%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 18.66; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.3% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 32.8% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 92.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $800K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.