National Association of Independent Schools Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042104741
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2029739700
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$27,311,841
Expenses
$25,029,905
Assets
$77,120,729
Liabilities
$18,843,285

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DEBRA WILSON (PRESIDENT)
  • MORVA ANN MCDONALD (VICE PRESIDENT, LEADERSHIP)
  • CAROLINE BLACKWELL (VICE PRESIDENT, EQUITY AND)
  • WILLIAM JARRED (VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING,)
  • AMADA TORRES (VICE PRESIDENT, RESEARCH)

Highest reported compensation

  • DEBRA WILSON (PRESIDENT): $687,212 total reported compensation
  • MEGAN HOPE MANN (LEGAL COUNSEL): $395,647 total reported compensation
  • COREY R MCINTYRE (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $354,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

As the largest association of independent schools, nais co-creates the future of education by uniting and empowering our community. We do this through thought leadership, research, creation and curation of resources, and direct collaboration with education leaders.

What it reported doing in 2024

Community engagement, inclusion, and thriving schools: nais supports independent schools in cultivating healthy, inclusive, and connected communities that enable students, educators, and school leaders to thrive. Through professional learning experiences, conferences, institutes, and diagnostic resources, nais helps schools strengthen belonging, foster meaningful community engagement, and assess school climate and well being across stakeholder groups. These programs support school leaders and boards in understanding community experiences and strengthening institutional culture. During the relevant period, community focused programming engaged thousands of participants nationwide. In addition, diagnostic resources supporting school climate and community engagement were used by nine nais member schools, generating more than 3,000 individual responses from students, educators, and other school community members. This work supports the development of critical thinking and interpersonal skills students need for success in school, work and life.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 88% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70.3%; rating input score 70
  • Program expense ratio: 83.3%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.41 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: 8.4%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.08; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70.3% of revenue deployed · 83.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $20.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $687K · 27 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $795K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 22/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.