Imani Montessori

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
842835225
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Nashville, TN, USA
Phone
7314265905
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Reported finances

Revenue
$114,186
Expenses
$158,665
Assets
$61,701
Liabilities
$87,500

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

People named in this filing

  • IMANI GROSS (CHAIR/EXE DI)
  • SAMANTHA VAUGHN (AT LARGE)
  • HADASSAH HENRY (SECRETARY)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Imani montessori's mission is to create an inclusive, enriching, educational environment that nurtures the whole child.

What it reported doing in 2024

Imani montessori community school (imcs) is nashville's first montessori micro-school dedicated to global citizenship, experiential learning, and academic excellence. In 2024, imcs served 29 students from 20 households, spanning grades 3-12. The school combines montessori pedagogy, culturally responsive curriculum, and experiential "earthseed" farm learning at our gallatin campus. Key 2024 accomplishments conducted local, regional, and international field studies, including travel to colombia and cuba. Cuba field study and humanitarian mission: students and staff brought and donated over 4,000 worth of food and household supplies to families in cuba, combining cultural immersion with service learning. Produced a student short film and an original music track, showcasing our emphasis on creative expression and multimedia learning. Went camping as part of our experiential outdoor education program, emphasizing teamwork, nature literacy, and independence. Studied animal husbandry, successfully raising over 19 goats to adulthood at our gallatin farm campusgiving students hands-on experience in biology, agriculture, and responsible stewardship. Established a partnership with Tennessee aquatic project, through which 2 students became certified lifeguards, 2 advanced their swimming certification, and 4 began scuba trainingexpanding water safety, environmental stewardship, and leadership skills. Expanded farm-based fridays and student-led micro-economy projects (produce market, crafts, woodworking). Piloted student travel fundraisers and grant partnerships to increase access for all families.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 81% 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 - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 6
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 96.8%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -39%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.39; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.42; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.1% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 114.4% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 96.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 4 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $154K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.