TAF Rural Expansion Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
871130171
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Parsons, TN, USA
Phone
7318470632
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$13,010,588
Expenses
$9,765,649
Assets
$15,361,786
Liabilities
$863,113

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR BURTON WILLIAMS (BOARD SECRETARY & CEO)
  • JANET AYERS (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR BURTON WILLIAMS (BOARD SECRETARY & CEO): $411,055 total reported compensation
  • SHANNON HAYNES (CHIEF PROSPERITY OFFICER): $236,565 total reported compensation
  • BLAKE DILL (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $223,376 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Expanding the ayers foundation scholars program model to improve post-secondary education opportunities for high schoolers in distressed/at-risk rural Tennessee counties.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Foundation expanded the Ayers Foundation Scholars Program Model to distressed and at-risk counties in an effort to improve post-secondary education opportunities for high school students in rural counties in Tennessee. Also, funds will be utilized to purchase and operate one or more facilities or the making of grants to organizations and performance of services by the Foundation to promote economic development activities in rural Tennessee counties; including, the acceleration of encouraging the relocation and development of business and enhanced services in rural Tennessee.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 96% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 57
  • Sustainability: 75
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 61.2%; rating input score 61
  • Program expense ratio: 79.4%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 24.9%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.57; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 52.6% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 35.6% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 45.4% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 61.2% of revenue deployed · 79.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 4 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $411K · 14 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $248K reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 2 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.