Benedictine

Legal name: The Benedictine School for Exceptional Children Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
520787237
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Ridgely, MD, US
Phone
(410)634-2292
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Specialized Education Institutions

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$29,525,918
Expenses
$31,137,302
Assets
$18,153,498
Liabilities
$9,192,210

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARGARET MADDEN (PRESIDENT)
  • VICTORIA BRENNAN (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • SCOTT EVANS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • SHARON WALBERT (HOUSE COUNSELOR): $226,301 total reported compensation
  • SCOTT EVANS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $211,605 total reported compensation
  • KIMBERLY WALKER (DSP ADULT RESIDENTIAL): $166,428 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Benedictine is dedicated to serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through school, open community, training, and job placement.

What it reported doing in 2024

Adult services: since 1982, benedictine's adult services program has supported community living, employment and community engagement for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Licensed/approved by the Maryland developmental disabilities administration (dda) under the community pathways waiver, benedictine is proud to carry on a tradition of excellence based on the belief in the dignity of all people. At benedictine we follow a person centered approach to help empower the people we support in achieving their greatest potential. The community living program assists adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in homes and apartments in caroline and talbot counties and annapolis. Meaningful day services, operated out of our ridgely and easton locations, offers people the opportunity to find and sustain employment, develop careers, and engage in other activities in their communities. These services focus on discovering interests, building relationships, and promoting skill development. Supports are individually tailored with the belief that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, can be productive and active members of their communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 96% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 86.6%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.2 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • 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: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -5.5%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.58; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.51; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 8 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 92% of revenue deployed · 86.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $27M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $226K · 21 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $336K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 44/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 28/100.