Tennessee Nature Academy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
863761014
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
Antioch, TN, USA
Phone
6292592429
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,042,447
Expenses
$2,507,409
Assets
$3,611,465
Liabilities
$980,282

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Roy J Renfro (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Roy J Renfro (Executive Director): $126,373 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of Tennessee Nature Academy is to cultivate happy and healthy young people who are knowledgeable about the world, passionate about the outdoors, and motivated to do good work.Tennessee Nature Academy is a free nature-based public charter school in the Antioch-Cane Ridge community. The organization will serve students and families in grades 5-12, beginning with the founding 5th and 6th grade class in the 2023-2024 school year. Our research-based model uses nature-based learning and play to support students' academic success, build students' social and community connections, and promote students' well-being.

What it reported doing in 2023

During the 7/1/2023 through 6/30/2024 fiscal year, Tennessee Nature Academy completed its first academic year. The organization also retained 100% of its teachers and had above-average student retention as well. The organization was also able to introduce its conceptual framework to the community through community events. Further, the organization conducted numerous camp events as an extension of its long term program services.

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 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. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 42
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 34.2%; rating input score 34
  • Program expense ratio: 68.7%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 50.3%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.44; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 177% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 155.9% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 173.4% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 34.2% of revenue deployed · 68.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $126K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2022 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 34/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 52/100.