Breakthrough Twin Cities

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
453587267
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
St Paul, MN, USA
Phone
6517485507
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Nonmonetary Support N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,758,678
Expenses
$2,335,171
Assets
$1,786,758
Liabilities
$294,226

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Sarah Peters (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Joshua Reimnitz (Executive Dir.): $138,225 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Breakthrough Twin Cities supports students on their journey to college by fostering a community of mutual learning with the next generation of educators so they both can collaborate, grow, and thrive.

What it reported doing in 2024

Breakthrough Twin Cities (BTC) provides a six-year, tuition-free college access and teacher-development program serving underrepresented youth in grades 712 in the Twin Cities. Students participate in academic enrichment, social-emotional learning, and college-readiness programming during a 5.5-week summer program and monthly school-year sessions. Students also receive individualized advising, mentorship, and referrals to community resources. In Summer 2024, BTC served 448 students (nearly 100 more than last year) across three sites. Students received 100+ hours of core academic instruction and participated in STEM, arts, and college-and-career exploration electives. Dedicated STEM programming was delivered in partnership with the University of Minnesota, including hands-on experiments, career panels, and immersive activities. Students participated in field trips focused on college access and civic engagement, including visits to local colleges and the Minnesota State Capitol. Middle School Outcomes (2024 - 25) - 55% enrolled in at least one. honors course, -78% felt better prepared for the next school year, -83% reported strong college-going role models, -88% felt a strong sense of belonging. Breakthrough Leaders Program: 69 rising 9th graders (20 more than prior year) completed a four-day leadership retreat at St. Johns University, building leadership, belonging, and confidence. Participants facilitated student-led programming and supported teaching teams upon return. BTCs high-school program supports students through academic advising, college counseling, ACT preparation, financial aid education, and persistence support. Students participated in summer college-readiness workshops covering FAFSA, college applications, scholarship search, and transition planning. High School & College Outcomes (2024 - 25) -80% enrolled in at least 100% four-year graduation rate, 100% college acceptance for applicants, average annual scholarship: $35,781, covering 85% of tuition, 95% enrolled in college the fall after graduation, 60%+ on-track graduate college in 5 years. BTC also served its first Eastern Carver County (ECC) juniors with summer college-transition workshops.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 69
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 82.9%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.73 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 56.2%; rating input score 56; 12th 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: -32.8%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.77; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.9%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 82.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $138K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 50/100.