Mission Scholars
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 991559774
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Phone
- 8052421338
- Rating
- 59
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Student Services, Organizations of Students
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,780,419
- Expenses
- $663,604
- Assets
- $1,133,425
- Liabilities
- $15,298
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Chris Bruzzo (President)
- Cassie Lancaster (Trustee/Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Cassie Lancaster (Trustee/Executive Director): $185,244 total reported compensation
- Katie Kinsella (Trustee/Director of Programs): $104,472 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 Scholars uses comprehensive college admissions guidance, mentorship, and career development training to help exceptional, low-income students reach their full potential and become a force for change in our communities.
What it reported doing in 2024
In 2024, Mission Scholars provided comprehensive support across its College Access, Affordability, and Success programs. All Class of 2024 Scholars submitted an average of 16 college applications, with 100% completing FAFSA/CADAA and securing over $1.4 million in scholarshipsincluding the program's third Gates Scholar and first Edison Scholar. Through robust volunteer engagement, including a 75% retention rate for Essay Coaches, students received individualized support throughout the admissions process. Mission Scholars also delivered targeted college success programming, leading to 90% of college students staying on track to graduate in four years, 60% securing meaningful summer internships, and 100% of alumni returning as peer mentors.
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 98% 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
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 52
- Transparency & Controls: 68
- Accountability: 72
- Sustainability: 70
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 30.2%; rating input score 30
- Program expense ratio: 80.8%; rating input score 81
- Fundraising efficiency: $46.91 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- 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; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 62.7%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.71; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 43.7%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 30.2% of revenue deployed · 80.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 6 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $536K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $185K · 6 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 30/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.