Serving Our Children
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 208874570
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2014
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2024646712
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $17,281,503
- Expenses
- $17,277,243
- Assets
- $754,497
- Liabilities
- $763,060
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- RACHEL SOTSKY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- KEVIN P CHAVOUS (PRESIDENT & CHAIRMAN)
Highest reported compensation
- KEVIN MILLS (MGR, FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT): $139,890 total reported compensation
- RACHEL SOTSKY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $127,246 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Soc is committed to the concept that all students should have access to a quality education, irrespective of income, zip code, or socioeconomic status. All students are capable of learning and excelling in life, and a quality education is the key to such achievement. To this end, soc is dedicated to the mission of allowing parents access to as many school choice options as possible, including attending a public, charter, or private school. Soc is specifically focused on providing a private school "opportunity" to low-income families in the district of columbia, as one option of school choice.
What it reported doing in 2024
Soc processed 3,216 applications for enrollment in the opportunity scholarship program for the school year ending 30 june 2025. Soc reviews each application to determine if the income and residency requirements are met. Ultimately, 1,409 students were awarded scholarships, accepted at a participating private school of their choosing, and used their scholarship during the school year. During this reporting period, the maximum scholarship amount was $10,000 for grades k through 8, and $15,000 for grades 9 through 12.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 100% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 93
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 26
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 91.8%; rating input score 92
- Program expense ratio: 91.8%; rating input score 92
- Fundraising efficiency: $23,103.61 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.04; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.01; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.5%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -7.4% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -7% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -8.9% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 91.8% of revenue deployed · 91.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $15.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $140K · 11 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $102K reported
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
- 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 32/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.