Renaissance Knights Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
202728157
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2020
Location
Wauconda, IL, USA
Phone
7738440701
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Recreational l Clubs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$292,590
Expenses
$263,506
Assets
$215,429
Liabilities
$5,107

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID A HEISER (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAVID A HEISER (CEO): $74,615 total reported compensation
  • SHEILA HEISER (VICE PRESIDE): $40,000 total reported compensation
  • KRISTINA HEISER (DIRECTOR): $7,500 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To foster the intellectual and social development of disadvantaged youth in diverse communities throughout the city of chicago through vibrant chess education programs, tournaments, and events.

What it reported doing in 2025

Cops & kids program: a chess initiative that impacts the lives of over 300 children in chicago by utilizing the game of chess as a vehicle for engagement to promote non-violence and increase positive relationships with youth & police officers

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 96% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 18
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.8%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 88.6%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9.9%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.82; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 46.3%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.1% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.8% of revenue deployed · 88.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $233K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.