Breakthrough Greater Boston Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043307783
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Cambridge, MA, USA
Phone
6173496647
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Vocational, Technical Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,844,227
Expenses
$4,274,858
Assets
$6,939,257
Liabilities
$338,481

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

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KARA BIXBY (CO CHAIR & PRESIDENT)
  • ONEDA HORNE (CO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JENNIFER STANGE (MAN. DIR OF OPS/CO-ED): $178,261 total reported compensation
  • ANDREW JACKSON (MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT): $157,439 total reported compensation
  • ONEDA HORNE (CO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $125,738 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To inspire excitement for learning, create paths to and through college, and promote careers in education.

What it reported doing in 2024

Breakthrough greater boston, inc. ("btgb") works to improve educational equity by inspiring excitement for learning, creating paths to college, and promoting careers in education. Btgb stands apart from other college access programs in that they offer comprehensive academic support that intervenes early and continues for ten years. The students teaching students model features near-peer instruction and mentoring. Btgb has consistently demonstrated what low-income students and students of color can achieve at the highest level when engaged in in a culture of high expectations and provided the support necessary to advance academically.with an intensive five-week summer program, monthly "super saturday" program, additional tutoring, and consistent advocacy with teachers and families. Btgbs high school program ensures that each student gains admittance to college through year-round advocacy, a ladder of summer opportunities and a highly personalized college access program. Btgb's teacher training program trains high-achieving college students to shoulder the responsibilities of full-time teachers in the summer program and school year program, with guidance from professional educators.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 81% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 69.7%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th 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: 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -50.3%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.62; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21.8%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.7% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 69.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $178K · 31 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.