Riverwalk Education Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
010758906
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone
2109571955
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Charter Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$150,696,334
Expenses
$148,464,530
Assets
$529,739,349
Liabilities
$518,094,496

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR SULEYMAN TEK (President)
  • CHRISTOPHER JOHN GIESEKE (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • FAWZY SHEMSHACK (SUPERINTENDANT): $210,024 total reported compensation
  • ATNAN EKIN (REGIONAL EX. DIRECTOR): $157,925 total reported compensation
  • MAKSATMYRAT ALTIYEV (REGIONAL EX. DIRECTOR): $151,746 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission drives academic and socio-emotional development (see Schedule O) through a rigorous college preparatory, STEM-based learning model. The model is anchored on 21st century skills, embraced by a character-building approach, and delivered in an enriching, safe, and student-centered learning environment.

What it reported doing in 2024

SST, a public charter school accredited by the Texas Education Agency, operates under the Riverwalk Education Foundation. It is dedicated to STEM education, emphasizing 21st-century skills and character development. Across 20 campuses in San Antonio, Houston, and Corpus Christi, SST nurtures approximately 11,000 students in a dynamic learning environment. Driven by a college-preparatory, STEM-focused model, SST integrates academic rigor with socio-emotional growth. Its approach combines character-building strategies with a student-centered ethos, ensuring a safe, enriching experience for every learner.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 91% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 52
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66.5%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 67.2%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.5%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.57; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.98; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.1%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.7% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 23.4% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66.5% of revenue deployed · 67.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $99.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $210K · 16 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $63.7M reported
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.