Tapestry Charter School
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 161604750
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Buffalo, NY, United States
- Phone
- Lower: 716-332-0754; Middle: 716-332-0755; High: 716-204-5883
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Charter Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $21,016,255
- Expenses
- $21,304,567
- Assets
- $41,468,485
- Liabilities
- $34,390,019
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ERIC KLAPPER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THRU 12/24)
Highest reported compensation
- ERIC KLAPPER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THRU 12/24): $207,228 total reported compensation
- JENNIFER PANGBORN (CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER): $161,370 total reported compensation
- DR KARRIE HAYES (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $154,699 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 educate and inspire a diverse community of K-12 learners by engaging them in rigorous real-world learning experiences which prioritize intellectual, social and emotional growth. _Much of the Board of Trustees’ work is conducted in standing committees, which meet regularly and report to the full Board at monthly meetings. Each committee partners closely with the Executive Director and school leaders to advance Tapestry’s mission._ Executive Committee Coordinates Board work between meetings, sets Board agendas, and supports the Executive Director. Handles time-sensitive matters, oversees Board effectiveness and succession planning, and ensures alignment across committees.
What it reported doing in 2024
Charter school serving a diverse community of k-12 learners. The school had 1,099 full-time equivalent students enrolled at year end.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 85% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
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 liabilities are high compared with assets.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 80
- Transparency & Controls: 74
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 81.4%; rating input score 81
- Program expense ratio: 82.1%; rating input score 82
- Fundraising efficiency: $40.37 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- 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; 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: -1.4%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.95; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.83; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.4%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 81.4% of revenue deployed · 82.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $17.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $207K · 17 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $330K reported
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 6 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.