Great Schools Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 261988686
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2013
- Forms available
- Form 990 2013, Form 990-N 2012
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Phone
- 5173326200
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Human Service Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,441,939
- Expenses
- $2,102,940
- Assets
- $400,782
- Liabilities
- $938,881
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2013. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DR MARVIN L SAPP (PRESIDENT)
- CYNTHIA SPRINGER (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- CYNTHIA SPRINGER (CEO): $113,804 total reported compensation
- DR MARVIN L SAPP (PRESIDENT): $56,538 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2013. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Non- profit organization that offers professional central administrative support to charter schools.
What it reported doing in 2013
Business services (fiscal services and human capital management)
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 96% 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 63
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 10
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 80.5%; rating input score 80
- Program expense ratio: 55.2%; rating input score 55
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 17th 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: Pass
- 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: -45.8%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.19; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 2.34; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.1%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 199.9% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 531.6% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 80.5% of revenue deployed · 55.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $114K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2012 to 2013
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 55/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 10/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 2/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.