Inroads Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
620967197
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone
8885208691
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,335,422
Expenses
$9,035,234
Assets
$7,560,936
Liabilities
$4,614,766

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

Leadership & pay

30 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RONALD HOUSTON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (START 6/25))
  • FOREST HARPER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (THRU 6/25))

Highest reported compensation

  • FOREST HARPER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (THRU 6/25)): $313,700 total reported compensation
  • DENNIS YARBROUGH (CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER): $262,589 total reported compensation
  • KELLY OWENS (CHIEF OF STAFF): $214,002 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To deliver innovative leadership development programs and creative solutions that identify, accelerate, and elevate underrepresented talent throughout their careers.

What it reported doing in 2024

The inroads internship program prepares college students for career entry and long-term professional success through career readiness training, paid internships, and ongoing academic and career support. The program serves students pursuing high-demand, high-wage fields, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem), business, and entrepreneurship. Using a blended learning model, participants receive structured pre-employment training focused on professional communication, workplace effectiveness, leadership development, and job search strategies. Continued on schedule ostudents are matched with paid internship opportunities that provide practical experience aligned with their academic and career goals, increasing their competitiveness for full-time employment upon graduation. During the reporting year, 7,798 students completed pre-employment training, 332 students secured paid internships, and 61 students received competitive academic scholarships recognizing leadership and academic achievement. The program strengthens workforce readiness and supports students in securing meaningful employment in growth-oriented industries.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 51
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 15
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 60.5%; rating input score 60
  • Program expense ratio: 47.8%; rating input score 48
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -23.2%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.84; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.61; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.5%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 60.5% of revenue deployed · 47.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 20 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $4.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $314K · 30 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $749K reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 48/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.