Goodwill Arkansas Education Initiatives Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
813306959
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Little Rock, AR, USA
Phone
5013725100
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Charter Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,407,981
Expenses
$4,451,700
Assets
$72,577
Liabilities
$130,610

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRIAN F MARSH (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
  • EDIE STEWART (SR. VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF MISSION OFFICER)
  • SYLVIA MURCHISON (SR. VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • BRIAN F MARSH (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $568,307 total reported compensation
  • SYLVIA MURCHISON (SR. VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $287,686 total reported compensation
  • EDIE STEWART (SR. VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF MISSION OFFICER): $225,515 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 mission of the excel center is to provide adults the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and begin post-secondary education while developing career paths in sectors of the local economy that offer better-than-average employment and growth opportunities.

What it reported doing in 2024

The excel center district ended the school year with 275 students ranging in age from 19 to 71, with a median age of 34. Student enrollment was 80 percent female and 20 percent male. Unduplicated enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year was 676 students, an increase of 133 students over the prior school year. Average student enrollment was 349 at the start of the term and 299 at the end of the term. The excel center completed the year with an average retention rate of 85%. During the 2024-2025 school year, students earned a total of 2437 credits, and 117 graduated.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 64
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89.1%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 88.2%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.02; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.8; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.6%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 20.9% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 89.1% of revenue deployed · 88.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $568K · 8 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 2 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.