Dahlia Montessori

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
851845347
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020
Location
Allenhurst, NJ, USA
Phone
7325087944
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Specialized Education Institutions

Reported finances

Revenue
$311,515
Expenses
$323,786
Assets
$230,655
Liabilities
$132,651

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Katie Blunden (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Katie Blunden (Vice President): $62,077 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The purpose of the Corporation is to further and carry out charitable and educational objectives and purposes including, but not limited to, operating a Montessori school, dedicated to creating spaces for learning that support children, parents and teachers on their unfolding journey toward fulfilling their potential.

What it reported doing in 2024

The organization operates a Montessori-based educational program providing daily instruction for children ages 2 to 6. The program emphasizes child-centered learning, independence, and developmentally appropriate activities that support cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Students participate in hands-on learning using structured Montessori materials within a prepared classroom environment that encourages exploration and creativity. During the fiscal year, the organization completed construction of its school facility and prepared to begin operations, expanding its capacity to serve families within the community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 78% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 49
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.6%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 82.3%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $179.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 75%; rating input score 75; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.9%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.71; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.58; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.2%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -9.4% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 22% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 31.4% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.6% of revenue deployed · 82.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 4 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $267K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $62K · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.