Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy

Legal name: Lafayette Charter Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
461200082
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lafayette, LA, USA
Phone
(225) 529-2206
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$79,267,611
Expenses
$82,180,299
Assets
$271,257,197
Liabilities
$280,670,095

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR MARY LOUELLA RIGGS-COOK (PRESIDENT)
  • ERICA WILLIAMS (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KIMBERLY C LEMIRE (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $136,492 total reported compensation
  • RONNIE HARRISON (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $133,081 total reported compensation
  • CLOVIS J BENOIT III (FELLOW PRINCIPAL): $128,121 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our Mission is to provide a learning environment committed to academic excellence for all students through rigorous instruction, technology integration, and parental and community involvement.

What it reported doing in 2024

The lafayette programs/activities include general education for the instruction of students, transportation including bus services for students and administration.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 97% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.4%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 62.1%; rating input score 62
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.7%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.3; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.03; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.8%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 19.5% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 20.7% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 32.5% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 64.4% of revenue deployed · 62.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $51M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $136K · 13 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $23.3M reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.