Boldly Moving Education Ahead

What it reported doing in 2025

BMEAs Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) is an intergenerational, year-round initiative that recruits and develops young men from elementary school through the full pipeline into the teaching profession. Through an original MSU-partnered curriculum, high school fellows receive structured leadership training, near-peer mentorship experience, workforce development, and college and career planning support. These young men serve as mentors to elementary-aged students during the academic year and co-teachers during a five-week summer intensive serving over 600 students statewide. Since 2020, YLDP has contributed to a 90% college acceptance rate among graduating seniors, with 77% expressing interest in careers in education. Through its school partnership model, BMEA works directly with K-12 schools and districts to transform school culture and instructional practice through the original Liberating Learners Framework, which integrates culturally responsive restorative practices, trauma-informed care, and emerging technologies. BMEA provides whole-school professional development and one-on-one coaching for teachers and school leaders, with partner schools demonstrating measurable outcomes including a 22% increase in math proficiency and a 100% reduction in disciplinary infractions. The framework has been implemented across school communities in Michigan, Chicago, and New York City. The BMEA Independent School is a tuition-free, private school in Detroit, Michigan, serving students in grades 2nd - 7th from more than 60 zip codes across the Tri-County region. With a whole-child instructional model, our school centers joy, belonging, innovation, and academic excellence through restorative practices, culturally responsive teaching, human-centered leadership, and project-based learning. In its inaugural year, the school achieved a 92% average daily attendance rate, with 74% of students growing in math proficiency, 64% growing in reading proficiency, the number of students reading at grade level doubling from 9 to 18, and the number performing at grade level in math tripling from 4 to 13 in just one academic year. Students also participated in 15 field studies throughout the year, connecting classroom learning to real-world experiences, while the school simultaneously served as a living demonstration site for educator development and wellness, modeling sustainable, high-quality teaching at scale.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 80.5%; rating input score 81
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -33.8%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.3; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 37.4% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 36.5% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 29.3% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings