Minnesota Guild of Public Charter Schools

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
273469071
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2011
Location
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Phone
6123945238
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$256,411
Expenses
$290,067
Assets
$115,574
Liabilities
$2,253

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • James Zacchini (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • James Zacchini (Executive Director): $96,661 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Guild advances the original vision of the chartered school model, in which teachers have the choice to professionally organize and work to create innovative, research-based schools that rely on teacher expertise to identify and use effective teaching strategies, promote engaged student learning, create professional autonomy, and ensure effective, shared responsibility for outcomes. Vision: The Minnesota Guild of Public Charter Schools advances positive educational outcomes for students that leads to success in life. Mission: The Guild advocates for teacher leadership, professional autonomy, and the creation of innovative schools for student engagement and the ownership of learning. The Guild strives to support students, families, and communities most affected by the achievement gap and low graduation rates.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Guild advances the original vision of the chartered school model, in which teachers have the choice to professionally organize and work to create innovative, research-based schools that rely on teacher expertise to identify and use effective teaching strategies, promote engaged student learning, create professional autonomy, and ensure effective, shared responsibility for outcomes. The Guild vision is aligned with Minnesota Statutes 124E, Subd. 1 (5): create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program and promoting teacher-powered schools. As a single purpose authorizer, the Guild will improve the educational achievement of Minnesota students by advocating a systemic approach to charter school formation and operation that promotes stakeholder accountability, autonomy, and competence. The Guild authorizes and monitors 15 charter schools and serve 3,977 students in accordance with Minnesota Statutes 124E. The Guild's charter school portfolio encompasses a variety of school types, populations served by educational programs in Minnesota, with a specific interest in schools that serve students most affected by the achievement gap and low graduation rates.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 100% 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

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: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.8%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 81.2%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -13.1%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.4; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 33.3%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.8% of revenue deployed · 81.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $236K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $97K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 19/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.