The Field School

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
812218513
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
7084345811
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,195,225
Expenses
$5,941,403
Assets
$16,258,596
Liabilities
$10,385,231

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANA COOPER (PRESIDENT)
  • NEIL TAN (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JEREMY MANN (EX-OFFICIO): $155,675 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The field school is a diverse, classical school that feeds the hearts and minds of children through rigorous study rooted in a christ-centered environment. Students grow intellectually, socially and spiritually, deepening their passion for lifelong learning, selfless service, and a desire for lasting relationships amid diverse community.

What it reported doing in 2024

The field school is a diverse classical school that feeds the hearts and minds of children through rigorous study rooted in a christ-centered environment. Students grow intellectually, socially and spiritually, deepening their passion for lifelong learning, selfless service, and a desire for lasting relationships amid diverse community. The school provided learning for 277 students, of various backgrounds, from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 63% for direct work, and 37% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 69.5%; rating input score 69
  • Program expense ratio: 83.8%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 17.4%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.74; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.64; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.6%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 35.5% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 30.2% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 43.7% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 69.5% of revenue deployed · 83.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $156K · 14 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.