German International School Boston Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 043486659
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2016–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Boston, MA, USA
- Phone
- 6177832600
- Rating
- 71
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Education N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $13,637,941
- Expenses
- $12,749,817
- Assets
- $28,893,200
- Liabilities
- $21,729,317
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- TILMAN KISPERSKY (CHAIR/PRESIDENT)
- ULRIKE BAGEHORN (VICE CHAIR/PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY)
Highest reported compensation
- BETTINA NANCY HAARBUSCH (HEAD OF ADMINISTRATION): $169,032 total reported compensation
- PAULA SPENCER (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE): $144,636 total reported compensation
- ANKE ROOST (HEAD OF EARLY EDUCATION): $136,321 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
German international school boston is a bilingual independent school serving students from preschool to grade 12. We offer a bilingual education with an internationally acclaimed german curriculum. As a global community, we strive to instill a love of learning and a sense of responsibility to prepare students for shaping our common future.
What it reported doing in 2024
The school provides a german education for students in grades preschool through grade 12. In fiscal 2025 the school served 295 students.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 76% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 92% 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
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 78
- Transparency & Controls: 66
- Accountability: 59
- Sustainability: 55
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77.4%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 82.4%; rating input score 82
- Fundraising efficiency: $48.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 28.6%; rating input score 29; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: 6.5%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.27; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.75; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 77.4% of revenue deployed · 82.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 2 of 7 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $10.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $169K · 14 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $337K reported
- Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2016 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
- 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 29/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 58/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.