Teaching Beyond the Square Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 461199298
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2017–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2016, Form 990-N 2013
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Phone
- 2122285679
- Rating
- 70
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Educational Services and Schools - Other
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $257,880
- Expenses
- $306,611
- Assets
- $328,114
- Liabilities
- $1,285
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SIPI BHANDARI (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- JEN CARVAJAL (SECRETARY/SR EDUCATIONAL D): $65,882 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Teaching beyond the square (tbs) is a nonprofit based in nyc which aims to improve the quality of early childhood education. Through collaborative partnerships with school communities, tbs works with students, educators, parents, and policymakers to advance developmentally appropriate best practices which are more playful, effective, engaging and equitable. Teaching beyond the square is unlocking the educational mindset, engaging families through the opportunity of play, and helping children think outside the box.
What it reported doing in 2024
Consulting and partnerships - our partnerships and consulting work with schools and centers includes workshops and on-going collaborations with teachers and administrators in exploring and implementing pedagogical practices. Our consultants help educators understand emergent curriculum, classroom environment design, the incorporation of found and natural materials, and creative experiences for young children.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 60
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 62
- Sustainability: 28
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 69.1%; rating input score 69
- Program expense ratio: 58.1%; rating input score 58
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.39 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th 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: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -18.9%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.07; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 21.5%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 69.1% of revenue deployed · 58.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $178K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $66K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.