Grace Montessori Academy Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 611513394
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2009
- Location
- Billings, MT, USA
- Phone
- 4066521739
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Primary, Elementary Schools
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,385,453
- Expenses
- $1,386,744
- Assets
- $3,563,943
- Liabilities
- $1,190,480
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- PAM PURCELL (PRESIDENT)
- SETH WILDUNG (VICE-PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- REGINA GRIEMSMAN (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $55,754 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Grace montessori academy is a nurturing, christian, educational community. We teach the child a love for learning and moral principles that will assist the child in developing their knowledge, self-discipline and self-esteem allowing them to realize and achieve their individual potential. We teach the child personal responsibility, tolerance, mentoring others and to contribute their unique gifts to the world. We teach the child to love christ and desire to become his disciple in the world. We teach children from ages 3 to eigth grade. We reach out to all people in the community. We aspire to disciple beyond the children by reaching out as a positive influence to the families. We aspire to be a christian motessori teacher training center. We are an exemplary christian school known for pacesetting excellence with impeccable character as an organization.
What it reported doing in 2024
Grace montessori academy is a non-denominational christian montessori school dedicated to providing children a hands-on, independent learning environment that instills the love of learning. The academy served 179 students during the fiscal year.our program provides students the tools to acquire inner self-discipline and self-esteem; to achieve academic excellence; to develop a love for life long learning; to learn moral and spiritual principles; and to achieve their highest potential.through the academic and experiential learning process developed by dr. Maria montessori and enhanced by a christian based foundation, students will learn to care for and respect themselves, others, and the environment. The unique cycle of learning provided at grace montessori academy is designed to take advantage of the child's sensitive periods that occur between the ages of three to six and six to nine when children absorb information and profound life understandings from a specifically ordered and enriched environment. Grace montessori academy creates a christian, nurturing atmosphere where each child is treated with sensitivity, honesty and respect. In the early childhood class, the children learn to take responsibility for themselves and for each other. They learn to get along with children of different ages and abilities, to respect each other's work and work space, and to treat each other with courtesy. The classroom becomes a thriving community where children are treated with respect and dignity and want to treat others with the same respect and dignity. The elementary-aged child is in a period of heightened social development. Multi-aged groupings mean more small-group options relative to ability and interest. These children are also extremely curious about the world around them and mechanics of how things work.grace montessori academy does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, national origin, disability, religion or age in the adminstration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and all other school-administered programs. Our teachers emphasize moral instruction, kindness, and compassion to all children.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 83% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 83
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 47
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 86.7%; rating input score 87
- Program expense ratio: 86.1%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: $18.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -0.1%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.57; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 86.7% of revenue deployed · 86.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $56K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 35/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.