ISANA Academies
Legal name: Isana
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 201782192
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Phone
- (323) 291-1211
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Charter Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $57,218,140
- Expenses
- $54,826,907
- Assets
- $85,755,334
- Liabilities
- $44,667,572
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Nadia Shaiq (Chief Executive Officer/President)
Highest reported compensation
- Nadia Shaiq (Chief Executive Officer/President): $280,060 total reported compensation
- John Vargas (Chief Operating Officer/Secretary): $213,024 total reported compensation
- Patrick Stickley (Principal): $209,498 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
ISANA Academies is a tuition-free charter public school serving students in grades TK-8, uniquely preparing scholars to be leaders who will impact the world and create permanent and transformational change by being innovative, socially-aware, network-focused, and achievers.
What it reported doing in 2024
To operate public charter schools where at risk students will thrive in an atmosphere of high expectations.Our vision encompasses five critical focus areas: Academic Excellence - Our academic program will challenge the intellect and maximize the potential of each student to acquire knowledge, concepts, and skills necessary to become thinking, productive, responsible citizens. Excellence in academics results in a love of lifelong learning and supportive, involved community.Mutual Respect - ISANA will foster a culture of mutual respect that builds trust and engages students in learning.High-Quality Teachers and Paraprofessionals - Teachers and paraprofessionals will meet ESSA standards by meeting all applicable state certification and licensure requirements.Parental Investment and Community Involvement - Parents want the best for their children and share in the responsibility and the process of educating their children. These involved parents will serve as catalysts to students' success.Respect and Diversity - ISANA will be an inclusive community in which people from different cultural, ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds learn, live, and work harmoniously with mutual respect, without compromising their beliefs and their identities. We will champion the cause of excellence and equity.Schools operated include the following:- ISANA Nascent Academy serves 526 students in grades TK-8.- ISANA Octavia Academy serves 356 students in grades TK-8.- ISANA Palmati Academy serves 360 students in grades TK-8.- ISANA Cardinal Academy serves 296 students in grades TK-5.- ISANA Achernar Academy serves 414 students in grades TK-8.- ISANA Himalia Academy serves 648 students in grades TK-8.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 96% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 61
- Transparency & Controls: 74
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 50
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 68.4%; rating input score 68
- Program expense ratio: 69.9%; rating input score 70
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.2%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.56; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.52; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 68.4% of revenue deployed · 69.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $38.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $280K · 12 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2M reported
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 8 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.