Rockford Education Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 383034696
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Rockford, MI, USA
- Phone
- 6168636317
- Rating
- 63
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $338,555
- Expenses
- $251,152
- Assets
- $1,218,391
- Liabilities
- $522
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
18 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- ELIZABETH MEYER-KRAFF (EXECUTIVE DI): $69,435 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 rockford education foundation (ref) was established in 1991 to provide resources for increased educational opportunities for people of all ages in the rockford community. The ref is an independent, non-profit corporation, governed by a volunteer board of trustees from the community. Teachers, students, and community members with innovative ideas have received grants for wide-ranging, educational purposes. Large & mini grants are awarded twice annually based on the merit of the request and its ability to promote educational excellence. Community impact grants are reviewed at time of submission and determined case by case, whereas student grants can be reviewed and approved during the monthly board meetings. The ref is proud to award educational grants to the rockford community.
What it reported doing in 2024
The primary program service of the rockford education foundation (ref) is to award grants to educators, students, and community members with the mission to enhance educational opportunities. The organization supports learners of all ages from early childhood (pre-school) through after retirement with the awarding of grants for programming targeting the aging adult community. The ref awards grants to the rockford public schools, parochial schools, and other non-profit organizations that provide educational opportunities in rockford.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 91% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 88% 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 28
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 69
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 29.4%; rating input score 29
- Program expense ratio: 29.8%; rating input score 30
- Fundraising efficiency: $3.51 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
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: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 25.8%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.85; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 27.6%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 13.7% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 29.4% of revenue deployed · 29.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $75K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $69K · 18 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 29/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 30/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 16/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.