Onward We Learn

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
223031765
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Providence, RI, USA
Phone
4018545500
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,693,094
Expenses
$6,519,764
Assets
$12,341,685
Liabilities
$1,761,302

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANDREW BRAMSON (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANDREW BRAMSON (PRESIDENT & CEO): $235,345 total reported compensation
  • SUSAN MANSOLILLO (CHIEF FINANCIAL & ADMIN. OFFICER): $146,344 total reported compensation
  • ALEJANDRO MOLINA (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $142,661 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We at onward we learn prepare and inspire young people in Rhode Island to become the first in their families to attend and complete college.

What it reported doing in 2024

Scholarship program: in fy 2025, we provided $814,417 for scholarships to 604 students to support postsecondary success. These resources were critical to supporting college persistence and college completion efforts. In conjunction with these scholarship resources, independent researchers studying onward we learn discovered that onward we learn gear up participants in Rhode Island were 48% more likely than their closely matched peers to earn a college credential within six years of expected high school graduation. Across every major milestone on-time grade progression, high school graduation, college enrollment, and college completion onward we learn gear up participants significantly outperformed comparison students. Onward program outcome revealed particularly strong impacts for low-income, black, and hispanic students, and for students with lower academic proficiency or behavioral risk factors. Onward we learn's largest cumulative gains occurred because fewer students "fell off" at key transition points from 6th grade through postsecondary education.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 90% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 84% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83.4%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 80.4%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2,727.48 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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; 63rd 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: 2.6%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.89; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 83.4% of revenue deployed · 80.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $5.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $235K · 19 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $401K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 36 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.