Propel Schools Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
201100962
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Phone
4123257305
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,698,318
Expenses
$1,284,976
Assets
$22,205,589
Liabilities
$3,319,608

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DONALD J HUBER (PRESIDENT)
  • MARK CANCILLA (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • TINA CHEKAN (CEO/SUPERINTENDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • TINA CHEKAN (CEO/SUPERINTENDENT): $307,114 total reported compensation
  • BETH WRIGHT (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER UNTIL 09/13/24): $159,467 total reported compensation
  • CONSTANCE MURRARY (SENIOR DIRECTOR, PROPEL SC): $148,652 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 propel schools foundation supports the mission of propel schools: to catalyze the transformation of public education so that all children have access to high-performing public schools. Propel schools foundation seeks and accepts donations and other resources that advance our imperative work that empowers our scholars to achieve academic and personal excellence. Funds raised are dispersed to the schools to provide quality programs to the 3,500 scholars attending propel's 13 schools.

What it reported doing in 2024

The propel schools foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports the work of propel's 13 schools and their 3,500 k-12 scholars. With the mission to catalyze the transformation of public education so that all children have access to high-performing public schools at the forefront. Through our principal fundraising efforts, the schools are able to provide the following programs to our scholars: 1) our award-winning afterschool program, which served over 450 scholars during the 2024-2025 school year; 2) the propel teacher residency program (ptrp) attracting diverse teachers to address the critical challenge of retaining high-quality educators; 3) propel partners in wellness (ppiw), a comprehensive program designed to help scholars and their families maintain a healthy and productive academic year; 4) scholar opportunities, a program that ensures that every scholar has access to a wide range of enriching opportunities that extend beyond the traditional classroom experience; and 5) k-2 literacy program aimed at ensuring all scholars are reading at grade level by the end of second grade setting them on a path to succeed in school and beyond.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 44
  • Transparency & Controls: 68
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 42.1%; rating input score 42
  • Program expense ratio: 55.6%; rating input score 56
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.4%; rating input score 99; 38th 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: 52.4%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 17.28; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.9%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.5% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 42.1% of revenue deployed · 55.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $714K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $307K · 19 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 12 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 42/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 30/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.