Pathways to College Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
451539053
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2013
Forms available
Form 990 2013, Form 990-N 2010
Location
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone
4144438729
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$291,219
Expenses
$526,995
Assets
$45,167
Liabilities
$581,514

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2013. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MILTON COCKROFT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MILTON COCKROFT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $120,738 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2013. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The pathways milwaukee mission is to create a belief that college is an option for everyone, and that through the program, we can make this belief a reality. Pathways milwaukee is committed to providing the necessary support and resources academically, socially, spiritually, and financially to achieve this mission.

What it reported doing in 2013

After school program - 25 center for college success sessions - the center for college success (ccs), created initially for our pathways milwaukee participants, has developed to become a multidisciplinary facility designed to support teaching and learning while providing various services, programs and space to not only our students, but parents and community partners as well. Students will participate at the after-school college prep center at least one day a week, where they will take part in mini courses which focus on study skills and habits, literacy skills, life skills, and foreign language. Tutoring and mentoring will also be provided for all of our students. 6th-8th grade book club - students will read age-appropriate novels, concentrate on learning literacy skills, and culminate with writing activities based on the day's lesson. Study skills and study hall - 6th grade students will examine and practice a variety of study skills which will help them transition to middle school learning and instill good study habits. Life skills - 7th and 8th grade students will discuss a variety of skills necessary to navigate life successfully. The curriculum, designed exclusively for pathways and based on character development, will focus on self-awareness, goal setting, interpersonal communication, and conflict resolution. Stem - 6th and 7th grade students will enhance their science vocabulary and concept understanding through a variety of experiments designed to focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. High school selection - 7th grade students will conduct research on local high schools to determine which high school would be a good fit for the student and what requirements are necessary for application and acceptance. College research - 8th grade students, having already chosen a high school, will focus on studying colleges that offer programs of interest for them. They will then examine the requirements for acceptance to develop a plan of study throughout their high school career. High school students - study support - for our high school students the ccs will be a place for studying, tutoring, mentoring, and research assistance. Admission possible - one of our partners, will provide workshops for our juniors and seniors as it relates to act and sat preparation, financial aid research and the college application process.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 79% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 5
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 69.4%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $162.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -81%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.09; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 12.87; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 22.9%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: -10.2% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -68.4% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 69.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $366K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $121K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2011 to 2013
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.