Brightlane Learning Corp
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 352151003
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Phone
- 3172029100
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Remedial Reading, Reading Encouragement
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $4,189,894
- Expenses
- $2,420,959
- Assets
- $11,126,858
- Liabilities
- $628,648
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SALLY BINDLEY MILLMAN (FOUNDER & CEO)
- KELLY COKER (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/INTERIM CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- KELLY COKER (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/INTERIM CEO): $115,189 total reported compensation
- AMBER KOSTOFF (CHIEF PHILANTHROPIC OFFICER): $104,434 total reported compensation
- SALLY BINDLEY MILLMAN (FOUNDER & CEO): $90,390 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Brightlane learning transforms the lives of students impacted by homelessness and housing instability with personalized tutoring and academic support while advocating for their families as they navigate the educational system
What it reported doing in 2024
Community-based programs-brightlane learning partners with homeless shelters, supportive housing facilities and community centers to provide both tutoring for students and education case management for their families. Working with partner locations brightlane learning provides two to three nights of personalized tutoring support each week for students utilizing proven interventions and our own curriculum, which is aligned with state academic standards. Staff work to connect with a student's teacher to determine how to best support him or her. In addition to student services, staff meet with parents to determine goals that each family has for improving students' outcomes. These goals include increasing communication with the school, looking at school enrollment options, arranging transportation, determining additional student supports needed, pre-k enrollment, etc.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 49
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 77
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 40.7%; rating input score 41
- Program expense ratio: 68.9%; rating input score 69
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 42.2%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.6; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12.8%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 16.9% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 23.6% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 40.7% of revenue deployed · 68.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $115K · 17 people listed
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 41/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.