National Federation of Modern Language Teachers

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
530217344
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Marlborough, MA, USA
Phone
5093084049
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Professional Societies, Associations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$271,153
Expenses
$211,594
Assets
$1,238,128
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • John Tessitore (Executive Director)
  • Howard Berman (Executive Director)
  • Anne Nerenz (President)
  • Leonard Muaka (Past President)
  • Sheri Spaine Long (President-Elect)

Highest reported compensation

  • John Tessitore (Executive Director): $17,664 total reported compensation
  • Howard Berman (Executive Director): $3,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The expansion and promotion of research and the improvement of the teaching and learning of modern world languages, literatures, linguistics, and cultures.

What it reported doing in 2025

During the 2025 fiscal year, the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (NFMLTA) continued its mission to expand and promote research in and the improvement of the teaching and learning of world languages, linguistics, and cultures. We achieve this through the following key program service accomplishments. Grants: The NFMLTA awarded or paid out 35 grants totaling more than $57,000 in support of doctoral dissertation research, research activities in languages and linguistics, and presentation support for individuals to present their research at language conferences in the U.S. and around the world. Awards: The NFMLTA gave two prestigious awards the Paul Pimsleur Award in Research and in World Language Education and the Emma Marie Birkmaier Award for Doctoral Dissertation Research in World Language to recognize outstanding doctoral dissertation research in world language education and outstanding contributions to research in world language or second language education. Research: The NFMLTAs international research journal, The Modern Language Journal, saw record submissions for the Year (?700) and continues to be one of the most read and cited journals in the Linguistics and Education categories. In 2024, the journal published a special issue on Global Perspectives on Heritage Language Education and Emotion.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 88% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 53% for direct work, and 47% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 53
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 85
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 62.4%; rating input score 62
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 87.3%; rating input score 87; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 27th 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: 22%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.85; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.8%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58% of revenue deployed · 62.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 24 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $132K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $18K · 24 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 22 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.