Stand for Children Leadership Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521957214
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Portland, OR, USA
Phone
8006634032
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$20,690,209
Expenses
$21,739,145
Assets
$50,383,596
Liabilities
$2,080,171

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JONAH EDELMAN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • REBECCA GAU (ARIZONA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • NELL DUKE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - CENTER FOR EARLY LEARNING AND)

Highest reported compensation

  • JONAH EDELMAN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $344,029 total reported compensation
  • NICOLE SAYRES (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $309,086 total reported compensation
  • EMILY PHAN (CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER): $305,436 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Stand for children leadership center is a unique catalyst for educational success and social progress, to create a brighter future for us all.

What it reported doing in 2024

The center for early literacy and learning success (cells) improves early education outcomes through strategic partnerships with leading organizations and implementation of the great first eight curriculum, a comprehensive infant through grade 2 full-day research-aligned curriculum supported by professional learning. Curriculum development was advanced, pilot implementation continued, and cells established several new organizational partnerships on educator professional development and early literacy tutoring. By scaling effective early literacy practices and fostering excellence in early education, cells works to ensure that every child builds the fundamental knowledge and skills to thrive now and throughout their lives.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 73% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 94% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.8%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 76.9%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $25.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th 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: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.3%; rating input score 99; 33rd 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: 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: -5.1%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.32; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.8% of revenue deployed · 76.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $16.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $344K · 16 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $782K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 38 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 17 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.