Creative Development Academy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
831872708
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Saint Louis, MO, USA
Phone
3143831554
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$959,060
Expenses
$951,944
Assets
$14,327
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Saleetha Barbee (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Saleetha Barbee (Executive Director): $51,000 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 provide a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment where every child is empowered to learn, grow, and thrive. Through play-based learning, inclusive practices, and a focus on holistic development, we inspire curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love for learning

What it reported doing in 2024

Our scholarship initiative is designed to expand access to high-quality early childhood education for families experiencing financial hardship. By providing targeted tuition assistance, we ensure that children from underserved communities can participate in our enriching, developmentally focused programs within a nurturing and inclusive environment. This initiative underscores our commitment to promoting educational equity by removing cost barriers and supporting diverse learners through inclusive practices and fostering long-term success by investing in early developmental milestones. We take pride in contributing to the academic and personal growth of our community's youngest learners. Through this program, we empower children from all backgrounds to thrive-building a foundation for lifelong achievement and a brighter future

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 84% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 81
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 60.9%; rating input score 61
  • Program expense ratio: 61.3%; rating input score 61
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.7%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.02; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.4%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 166.4% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 200% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 60.9% of revenue deployed · 61.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $584K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $51K · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 52/100.