Pioneer Technology & Arts Academy Colorado

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
850658724
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Dallas, TX, USA
Phone
4694058967
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,133,084
Expenses
$6,297,293
Assets
$2,519,638
Liabilities
$7,324,963

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHUBHAM PANDEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • VICTORIA WHITE (BOARD PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SHUBHAM PANDEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $155,600 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of pioneer technology and art academy Colorado (ptaac) is to empower and engage students, especially underserved and underrepresented populations, to reach their full potential as global leaders who enhance their communities and the world (cont'd on sch o) through an inquiry-based steam curriculum that emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Ptaac graduates attain the skills and knowledge to earn advanced degrees, secure fulfilling positions in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (steam) professions, and become international leaders. Ptaac's programming allows children to expand their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, creativity and innovation, and communication and collaboration skills, which are necessary to solve complex engineering, science, and math problems. "we prepare students for jobs and technologies that don't yet exist... In order to solve problems that we don't even know are problems yet."

What it reported doing in 2024

To empower and engage students, especially underserved and underrepresented populations, to reach their full potential as global leaders who enhance their communities and the world through an inquiry-based steam curriculum that emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Ptaac graduates attain the skills and knowledge to earn advanced degrees, secure fulfulling positions in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (steam) professions, and become international leaders. Ptaac's programming allows children to expand their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, creativity and innovation, and communication and collaboration skills, which are necessary to solve complex engineering, science, and math problems. "we prepare students for jobs and (cont'd on sch o) technologies that don't yet exist... In order to solve problems that we don't even know are problems yet."

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 98% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 72
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.3%; rating input score 96
  • Program expense ratio: 93.8%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: 80%; rating input score 80; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2.7%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.4; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 2.91; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.5%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 30.8% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 23.7% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 96.3% of revenue deployed · 93.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $156K · 5 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.