Free Fellowship for Race & Equity in Education

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
471809869
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2014
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
7346580713
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$969,062
Expenses
$1,979,908
Assets
$709,154
Liabilities
$341,053

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHELLE MOLITOR (FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHELLE MOLITOR (FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $266,213 total reported compensation
  • ALICIA ROBINSON (SENIOR PARTNER): $211,257 total reported compensation
  • BETHANY MOLITOR (SENIOR PARTNER): $206,180 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 equity lab seeks to disrupt racial and ethnic inequity by engaging organizations in issues of race, equity, diversity, and inclusion (redi). We help individuals to develop a deep understanding of their own identity and the historical and cultural contexts in which we all operate, and we empower them to become agents of progress in their personal and professional spheres. We serve as an objective third party to our clients, providing honest guidance, ongoing partnership, and a safe, compassionate space to do what we know is serious, difficult, and deeply necessary work.

What it reported doing in 2024

Tel is a growing organization that is looking to become a thought leader in the equity space. As such, tel writes blog pieces, spreads its ideas on social media and its website, and looks to amplify the voices of its fellowship community. Tel is continuously revising its communications to best meet the needs of the field and attract attention to its impact as it looks to gain partners and supporters in the work. Additionally, following participation in its fellowships and long-term engagements, tel creates perpetual spaces for connection, healing, and innovation through our online alumni network. While still a burgeoning part of its offerings during the pandemic, tel's online and in-person alumni activities are meant to continue the iterative process around redi work and give its leaders a space to make further connections autonomously.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 82% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% 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

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: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 89
  • Sustainability: 8
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 72.6%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.48 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -104.3%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.36; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.48; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 47.7%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.3% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.1% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 72.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $266K · 13 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.