Institute for Research and Reform in Education Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
522165670
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
Cincinnati, OH, USA
Phone
7325570200
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Social Science N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$447,046
Expenses
$500,451
Assets
$674,964
Liabilities
$995

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Anissa Collins (Co-Executive Director)
  • Steven Amstutz (Co-Executive Director)
  • Todd Hixson (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Anissa Collins (Co-Executive Director): $113,575 total reported compensation
  • Jennifer Graham (Data Scientist): $101,000 total reported compensation
  • Steven Amstutz (Co-Executive Director): $93,629 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide research and education to various schools and institutions in relation to the reforms of school and the community involvement in these schools.

What it reported doing in 2023

The organization partners with schools, school districts, and education providers to develop personalized, engaging, and rigorous learning environments in struggling schools seeking to improve the lives of young people in the present and beyond. We provide instructional goals, coaching supports, curricula, and instructional tools and processes to these partners using the five core strategies of our framework for reform - First Things First - which leads to meaningful improvement in students' commitment and achievement.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 95% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 65
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.7%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 89%; rating input score 89
  • 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • 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: -11.9%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.35; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 61.6%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -13.9% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -12.7% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -7.3% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.7% of revenue deployed · 89% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $445K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $114K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2009 to 2023
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 22/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 48/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 2/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.