Innovation Education
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 473886933
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Quartz Hill, CA, USA
- Phone
- 6617183699
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Educational Services and Schools - Other
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,308,981
- Expenses
- $1,242,219
- Assets
- $540,673
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KAREN BARCUS (President)
- LAURA KONISEK (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- KAREN BARCUS (President): $128,126 total reported compensation
- RHONDA LEVINE (Director): $52,052 total reported compensation
- LAURA KONISEK (Vice President): $12,330 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Innovation Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing high-quality educational and academic enrichment services to the residents of the greater Antelope Valley area. We empower learners through curriculum-based, educator-endorsed programs in key areas including, Academic Achievement and Growth, Early Childhood Education, and Enrichment. From after-school Homework Clubs with qualified tutors, to summer camps integrating STEM and the Arts, to affordable preschool, and specialized courses in robotics and foreign languages, we create opportunities that inspire youth and adult learners alike. Our holistic approach addresses the individual needs of each student, fostering both academic success and personal growth in a safe, supportive environment.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 100% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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
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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 86
- Transparency & Controls: 85
- Accountability: 74
- Sustainability: 43
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 94.5%; rating input score 95
- Program expense ratio: 99.6%; rating input score 100
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 94.5%; rating input score 94; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 5.1%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.44; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 15.5%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 14.6% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 15% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 27.3% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 94.5% of revenue deployed · 99.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $128K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes grants
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 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.
Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 50/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
- Review — Grant Readiness: California registration: this organization could not be resolved against the register, so the check is unfinished.