Chicago Friends School
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 800197986
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2014
- Location
- Chicago, IL, USA
- Phone
- 7734422371
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Primary, Elementary Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $684,942
- Expenses
- $650,812
- Assets
- $144,439
- Liabilities
- $16,056
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
People named in this filing
- KATHERINE YOUNG (CLERK)
- MaryEllen Issacs (Director)
- REBECCA CONANT (Director)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Mission StatementChicago Friends School rooted in the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equity, and stewardship develops the academic skills andstrong character that K-8 students need to grow into purposeful lives.Vision StatementOur supportive and diverse school environment will nurture people to their fullacademic, creative, and spiritual potential and build character and love oflearning within each person. Chicago Friends School students, graduates, andcommunity members live Quaker values as they learn to engage with each otherand the wider world. Chicago Friends School graduates people with the skills, experiences, and confidence to bring about a better world.
What it reported doing in 2024
Education of children in an evolving, supportive and diverse community, resulting in academic excellence and spiritual depth. The school is rooted in the quaker values of peace, equality, simplicity, integrity, community and service.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 69% 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 41
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 83.5%; rating input score 84
- Program expense ratio: 87.8%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $15.8 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd 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: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 5%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.22; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 9.9% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 83.5% of revenue deployed · 87.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $572K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2015 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.
- 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 52/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 10/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 50/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.