Simpson Street Free Press Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 391882258
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2012
- Location
- Monona, WI, USA
- Phone
- 6082230489
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Printing, Publishing
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $446,895
- Expenses
- $438,629
- Assets
- $288,200
- Liabilities
- $100
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- AMANDA KRONINGER (PRESIDENT)
- JEWEL ADAMS (VICE PRESIDENT)
- JAMES KRAMER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- JAMES KRAMER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $82,414 total reported compensation
- TAYLOR KILGORE (DIRECTOR): $9,600 total reported compensation
- AMANDA KRONINGER (PRESIDENT): $4,200 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Simpson street free press (ssfp) delivers high-impact academic instruction during after-school and summer hours. We publish newspapers. Our writers are kids. Students explore the core subject areas, then they write and publish. Our mission is to spark academic success and bridge achievement gaps.
What it reported doing in 2024
Simpson street free press (ssfp) delivers high-impact academic instruction during after-school and summer hours. Ssfp uses extended-day academics to build permanent community assets. We sustain impact over time. Our student-written newspaper content focuses on the core subject areas -- science, history, social studies, and book reviews. Ssfp enrolls students in grades 2-12. Student writers learn the ropes, polish academic skills, and get promoted up the newsroom ranks. Older, more experienced students assist younger, less experienced peers. We also provide math tutoring and operate a network of youth book clubs. School grades, reading and math scores, and school-day attendance are measured. Student work is published and distributed, which inspires young readers across Wisconsin.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 76% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 73
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 76.2%; rating input score 76
- Program expense ratio: 77.3%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: $12.22 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 45; 45th 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: Limited
- 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: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 1.8%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.66; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 21.9%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.9% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 76.2% of revenue deployed · 77.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $339K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $82K · 13 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 45/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.