Amber Charter Schools

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
134119814
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2125349667
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$31,139,455
Expenses
$31,689,218
Assets
$113,640,275
Liabilities
$105,345,553

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

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • VERONICA ALMEDINA (CO-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • KIRSYS GOMEZ (CO-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • VERONICA ALMEDINA (CO-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $319,226 total reported compensation
  • KIRSYS GOMEZ (CO-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $313,330 total reported compensation
  • SASHEMANI ELLIOTT (CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER): $249,524 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Amber Charter School fosters a dynamic and supportive learning environment focused on academic excellence, creativity, and leadership. Through innovation and a commitment to personal growth and social responsibility, we equip students with the skills to thrive today and lead tomorrow, preparing them for a bright future as 21st-century leaders.

What it reported doing in 2024

The organization operates three charter schools in the city of New York. The schools are open to the general public (admission by lottery). Amber's mission is to provide students with an academically rigorous and well-rounded education, along with strong character development, that will enable them to prosper in future endeavors.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 74% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 71.9%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: -1.8%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.59; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.93; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.9%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 27% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 5 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 73% of revenue deployed · 71.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $22.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $319K · 24 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 12 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 30/100.