Project Grad Atlanta Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
582545441
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2014
Forms available
Form 990 2014
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone
4048803500
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,058,401
Expenses
$877,416
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Nanette Lee Reynolds (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Denise Edwards Boose (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & OPERATIO): $72,602 total reported compensation
  • Nanette Lee Reynolds (Executive Director): $60,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Project GRAD Atlanta, Inc. implements high school activities and programs in Atlanta Public Schools in order to impact student academic performance, and increase high school graduation, and college attendance and graduation. Project GRAD Atlanta operates three key components to its program: College Readiness and College Access through its High School Programming department; and Scholar Support through its College Programming department, which includes the administration of the Brumley-GRAD Scholarship program. Through services in both of these departments, the focus is squarely on secondary and postsecondary student success. To accomplish its mission, effective June 2015, GRAD is functioning on eight APS high school campuses, which consists of 13 schools.

What it reported doing in 2014

College Readiness: The mission of the College Programing department is to provide programs and opportunities for students enrolled in Project GRAD Atlanta high schools (grades 9-12) within the Atlanta Public Schools by engaging students and parents in activities that foster positive attitudes, academic achievement, college preparation, access to financial resources; therefore promoting high school graduation, college enrollment, and college graduation. The specific goals of college readiness are: 90% of entering freshman graduating in four years; 60% of graduating class earning the Dr. George W. Brumley, Jr.-Project GRAD Scholarship; and 80% of Brumley-GRAD Scholars enrolled in college within the first year. The Project GRAD Atlanta High School Programming department is to provide Project GRAD high schools with college readiness programs, workshops, college tours, SAT or ACT preparatory classes, tutoring and academic support, college admissions workshops, financial aid and scholarship assistance for students and parents, Summer Institutes for commuter and residential sites, summer enrichment program referrals, and provides additional financial support for school initiatives to include professional development for staff. In addition, the curriculum develops and promotes student-centered activities which help Project GRAD students with the college application and preparation processes and foster high school graduation, academic achievement, career development, parental involvement and college attendance. An essential part of College Readiness is promoting the Brumley-GRAD Scholarship for students who maintain an overall 78 or above numeric grade average, complete requisite college preparatory courses, attend two (2) summer institutes, and graduate from a Project GRAD feeder high school on time (within four (4) years). Successful students who meet these criteria earn up to four (4) years of scholarship support to attend an accredited 2- or 4- year college or state-approved technical school of their choice anywhere in the United States. As of June 30, 2015, 170 Project GRAD Scholars from the Class of 2015 qualified for the $4,000.00 Brumley-GRAD Scholarship.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 83% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 60.2%; rating input score 60
  • Program expense ratio: 54.5%; rating input score 54
  • Fundraising efficiency: $885.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 19th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 17.1%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.1%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -74.3% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -19.1% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -80.4% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 60.2% of revenue deployed · 54.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $478K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $73K · 16 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $105K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2012 to 2014
  • 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.

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

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.