The Leadership Initiative
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 833936553
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2019–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025
- Location
- Naperville, IL, USA
- Phone
- 6308031264
- Rating
- 34
- Verdict
- REVIEW
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Youth Development Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,031
- Expenses
- $14,515
- Assets
- $11,008
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Albert G Demming (President)
- Robert T Davis Jr (Vice President)
People named in this filing
- Albert G Demming (President)
- Robert T Davis Jr (Vice President)
- Barbara Davis Smith (Treasurer)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Purpose: This corporation is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, civic, and benevolent purposes. Specific Purpose & Objectives: To provide and be of service to the general public by implementing, assisting and creating educational, civic, charitable, benevolent, and professional services, programs, and activities primarily to/for the benefit of underserved African American youth. The specific objectives and purpose of this organization shall be to: a) Mentor primarily underserved African American youth and young adults b) Engage and inspire young persons to develop a success mentality, and live a life they did not know was possible c) Transform young persons into the leaders they are meant to be d) Inspire and empower youth to live their best life e) Serve humanity by creating a ripple effect of positive Youth Leadership
What it reported doing in 2025
The Leadership Initiative (TLI) Youth Mentoring Program (Program) served over 200 middle and high school students and their families who resided in Chicago's Western Suburb and Greater Chicago communities of Illinois. The Program groups Mentees with accomplished business professionals who deliver curriculum-based sessions on a weekly basis. The Program places extreme emphasis on the value of obtaining a quality education and its keys to developing a success mentality, developing action plans to achieve positive academic and professional outcomes, and the importance of volunteerism and community service. Additionally, the Program exposes Mentees to College Recruiters, Health & Wellness seminars, S.T.E.M., Financial Literacy, Professional and Social Etiquette workshops, as well as field trips to technology, educational, and cultural events. The Leadership Initiative's Mission & Vision: Engage and inspire young persons to develop a success mentality and live a life they did not know was possible. To serve humanity by creating a ripple effect of positive Youth Leadership. Our Adage: "If not us, then who will best prepare our young persons for today's and tomorrow's opportunities and challenges. About The Leadership Initiative's Western Suburb Mentoring Program: Sessions are scheduled by request, Monday through Saturday at agreed-upon dates, times, and locations, September through the following May. The Program is curriculum-based and designed to equip mentees with the knowledge, strategies, and skills they need to build healthy self-esteem, high confidence, and a competitive temperament, so they can succeed academically, socially, and professionally in their current and postsecondary endeavors. Curriculum topics include: Personal Branding; The Art of Listening, Public Speaking, and Debate; Self-Esteem; Health & Wellness; Anger Management & Conflict Resolution; S.T.E.M.; Professional, Social, and Dining Etiquette; Financial Literacy; and setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals. Field trips to Technology, Academic, Cultural, and Sporting events serve to round out a student's Mentoring Program experience. Topics delivered are interactive and designed to strengthen all aspects of a Mentee's Program experience. Our target demographic is underserved African-American young men and women, ages 11 - 18 or Grades 6 - 12. However, youth of all ethnicities are welcome to participate, provided they meet age and/or grade criteria. Students who have remained consistently engaged with our Mentoring Program have developed a high degree of academic engagement and success during and beyond their high school experience; have experienced a 100 percent high school graduation and grade school promotion rate; understand and demonstrate respect for authoritative figures; have developed healthy self-esteem; and have formulated sound action plans to achieve desired personal, academic, and professional outcomes. Additionally, our Mentoring Program is designed to provide a framework that assists parents with their child's transition from adolescence to adulthood. Additionally, TLI Mentees have had zero (0) disciplinary issues, suspensions, or expulsions from school and have maintained a 98% or better school attendance record.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.
The verdict
REVIEW - The filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 0
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Sustainability: 28
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
- Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -188.5%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.76; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.6% per year; rating input score 0; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -12.7% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 35th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed · 0% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
- Consistency: 8 of 9 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 2 filed schedules
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part III transfer expenses within program total did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.