Education Reform Now Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
203687838
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2126143213
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,733,247
Expenses
$13,628,995
Assets
$9,401,046
Liabilities
$485,906

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN PETRY (CO-PRESIDENT)
  • BOYKIN CURRY (CO-PRESIDENT)
  • JORGE ELORZA (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • HARRISON FARNSWORTH (VICE PRESIDENT, CAMPAIGNS)
  • TYKIA WARDEN (VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JORGE ELORZA (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $336,311 total reported compensation
  • PATRICK VAN KEERBERGEN (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $203,530 total reported compensation
  • TYKIA WARDEN (VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT): $181,434 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to create progressive education change at both the federal level and in states across the country at every stage from k-12 to higher-ed to ensure americans of all ages, from cradle to grave, gains full and fair access to a globally competitive high-quality public education that empowers them to fulfill their limitless potential.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education reform now, inc. (ern) works to inform, educate, and put forth ideas around public education policy. To accomplish this goal ern builds a durable network of progressive champions in the educational policymaking arena to expand what works and change what is broken for the benefit of students and families with a focus on people of color. Ern's work is focused in the following broad areas: policy action, leadership networking and collaboration, communications, and coalition building. Within policy action ern's primary goal is to research and implement at the national and state level student-centered policies focusing on standards and accountability, public school choice, resource equity, teacher preparation, and higher education access and persistence. To facilitate change in k-12 and higher education ern empowers and connects a network of diverse "on the ground" leaders at the national and state levels to drive change, leverage alliances, and to multiply impact. Ern uses major media and digital communications to activate audiences and elevate aligned voices. Additionally, through diverse coalitions ern seeks to inform and mobilize voters to increase civic participation around the issue of education reform.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 79% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 75.1%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.13 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: -137.7%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.69; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.9%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 75.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $10.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $336K · 15 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $353K reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 18 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 11 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 25/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.