Special Education Leader Fellowship

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
832083196
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2019
Location
New Orleans, LA, USA
Phone
5044592189
Rating
66
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Specialized Education Institutions

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,664,102
Expenses
$1,669,455
Assets
$1,046,907
Liabilities
$742,608

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAY ALTMAN (PRESIDENT)
  • LAUREN MORANDO RHIM (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • SHANNON GARFIELD (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • SHANNON GARFIELD (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $195,622 total reported compensation
  • AVNI MURRAY (CHIEF OF STAFF AND STRATEG): $133,304 total reported compensation
  • HEATHER KAWLRA (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $128,580 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To ensure students with exceptionalities reach their potential, we develop special education leaders to build technical expertise and leadership skills; a shared belief in the potential of all young people; partnerships with colleagues, external (cont'd on sch o) organizations, and parents; and personal responsibility for student success

What it reported doing in 2024

Special education leader fellowship (self) is a non-profit organization that partners with school districts, charter management organizations, and schools to significantly improve the education of children with disabilities through professional development and responsive technical assistance. During 2025, self led over 350 professional development sessions with a 99% satisfaction rate from attendees, engaged in more than 850 coaching sessions with teachers and leaders, completed approximately 150 school walkthroughs and prepared over 40 school reviews. Self serves school systems totaling over 40,000 students annually with activities across the united states, including new orleans, los angeles, and Washington, d.c.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 66% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.9%; rating input score 60
  • Program expense ratio: 59.8%; rating input score 60
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -0.3%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.63; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.71; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 27.4%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -8.3% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.4% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.9% of revenue deployed · 59.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $998K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $196K · 8 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 7/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 10/100.