Plowshares Education Development Ce Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042578910
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Newtonville, MA, USA
Phone
6175273755
Rating
59
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,752,467
Expenses
$1,988,475
Assets
$3,550,606
Liabilities
$413,022

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARY KEBER (PRESIDENT/CL)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOSEPHINE CARPINO (EXECUTIVE DI): $169,919 total reported compensation
  • DEBRA GALLAGHER (DIRECTOR): $129,371 total reported compensation
  • ANGELA MARRA (DIRECTOR): $126,039 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To provide the highest quality child care possible to families who live and/or work in newton and the surrounding communities; to support families in the education and care of their young children; to promote cooperation and exchange between existing child care programs; to publish professional child care literature; to provide technical assistance; to organize parent and staff workshops/training; and to encourage parental involvement.

What it reported doing in 2024

Plowshares operates its child care programs in three locations, housed within newton public school buildings and provides services to more than 200 families. Programs available include: toddler, preschool, nursery, school-age child care, summer camps and integrated classrooms. Plowshares is governed by a board of trustees that includes parents, thereby insuring parental participation in the policy and decision-making aspects of the organization. The plowshares site at newton north high school serves as the lab training facility for high school students majoring in early childhood education. Our other locations are at the franklin elementary school in west newton and the lincoln eliot elementary school in newton corner.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 77% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most filed governance safeguards are in place. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 49
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 60
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 47.4%; rating input score 47
  • Program expense ratio: 68.3%; rating input score 68
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • 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: 50%; rating input score 50; 8th 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: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 27.8%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.79; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21.4%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 47.4% of revenue deployed · 68.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 10 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $170K · 10 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 47/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.