Learning Grove Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 310910787
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Covington, KY, USA
- Phone
- 8594312075
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $18,117,454
- Expenses
- $17,336,697
- Assets
- $13,527,798
- Liabilities
- $6,028,672
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
31 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DREW TILOW (PRESIDENT)
- MARCIA SHERMAN (VICE PRESIDENT)
- SHANNON STARKEY-TAYLOR (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
Highest reported compensation
- SHANNON STARKEY-TAYLOR (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $190,884 total reported compensation
- PATRICIA GLEASON (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $147,875 total reported compensation
- ROSEANN HAYES (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $139,728 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Learning grove develops and supports innovative quality learning experiences that empower children, youth and families across diverse communities. We envision a world where all children and youth reach their full potential, and all families thrive.
What it reported doing in 2024
Learning grove serves over 6,500 children, youth and families each year through early childhood, school age, and youth workforce development programs. Children in our programs are on track in their cognitive and language skills and social emotional development, setting them up for lifelong success. Our before and after school programs provide enrichment outside of school hours in locations across greater cincinnati and northern Kentucky. For middle and high schoolers, navigo provides opportunities for students to explore their career interests and supports college and/or career readiness.
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 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 75
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 42
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 76.7%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 80.1%; rating input score 80
- Fundraising efficiency: $16.98 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- 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; 66th 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: 4.3%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.78; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.45; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 76.7% of revenue deployed · 80.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $13.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $191K · 31 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 6 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.
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.