Mission Graduates

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237172909
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone
4158645205
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$13,006,222
Expenses
$12,976,152
Assets
$5,060,716
Liabilities
$1,469,044

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LUIS COSTA (PRESIDENT)
  • EDWARD KAUFMAN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • EDWARD KAUFMAN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $239,348 total reported compensation
  • NATALIE GUANDIQUE (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $204,973 total reported compensation
  • ANSON LOUIE (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $193,266 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Mission graduates (the organization") is a California nonprofit benefit organization that empowers youth and their families on the path to higher education, equipping them for fulfilling careers that will strengthen generations. Founded in 1972, initially called st. John's educational threshold center, mission graduates was founded by a st. John's episcopal church member as a tutoring program for neighborhood children who experience an academic achievement gap. Three decades later, the organization clarified their commitment to getting more youth into college as a means to achieve economic equity for primarily latino and immigrant families but committed to meeting the needs of communities that have been overlooked by the system, especially black, filipino, and arab families.

What it reported doing in 2024

College to career: college connect (cc): cc is a family-based college access and success program that launched in spring 2008. Cc annually recruits 25 four-year college-bound high school juniors living or attending school in the mission and excelsior districts of san francisco who are the first generation to attend college. Cc participants and their families receive support with act preparation, math and english tutoring, personal statements and scholarship application coaching, obtaining financial assistance, choosing the best college that meets their personal and academic needs, and successfully transitioning to college with support through graduation. Currently, cc has 382 participants across 17 cohorts; 252 are alumni, 80 are college students, and 50 are high school juniors and seniors. 96% of cc seniors from the class of 2025 are attending a 4-year college this fall, which is nearly three times the California state average (29%). 95% of cc students persisted into their sophomore year of college in the fall of 2024. 58% of students in the program graduate within six years of college entry, twice the rate of first-generation college students of 24%. They have successfully ensured that finanaces are not a barrier to college. Their college students and alums raised over $6,637,000 in college scholarships and applied for all federal, state, and school financial aid. John o'connell college and career center (joccc): joccc is an innovative partnership with john o'connell high school, traditionally considered a vocational school, where the staff is embedded with teachers in the classroom. Being in the classroom during the school day allows staff to work with the entire school population of 483, using the context of their relationship to discuss career and higher education aspirations. This model provides a more integrated and holistic approach to assisting students with their future goals, as opposed to a separate college and career office that few students utilize. 88% of the graduating joccc seniors were accepted into 2- and 4-year colleges and universities.mission college and career program (mccp): mission college and career program is located on the mission high school campus and provides college access persistence programming to the entire student body. Staff provide individualized support to 421 students in writing personal statements, completing college applications, submitting scholarship and financial aid applications, and ensuring students successfully transition to college. In-class support occurs through advancement via individual determination (avid), a college preparatory program for students in the "academic middle". Further, mccp provides college exploration activities including campus visits and summer residential academic/leadership programs on college campuses.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 71% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% 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: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.5%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 79.7%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.2%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.39; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.5% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.5% of revenue deployed · 79.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $10.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $239K · 18 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.