The Gnar Education Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
680521209
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Nashville, TN, USA
Phone
6152547516
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Management & Technical Assistance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$256,078
Expenses
$273,982
Assets
$2,154,487
Liabilities
$1,848,840

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JARRON SPRINGER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • KEVIN WILSON (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • COLLYN WAINWRIGHT (PRESIDENT)
  • JACK GAUGHAN (PRESIDENT ELECT)
  • AMANDA CRIST (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • TREVOR GARRETT (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JARRON SPRINGER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $305,082 total reported compensation
  • LONNIE HARBOR (CONTROLLER): $129,950 total reported compensation
  • RYAN ADCOCK (GOVERNEMNT AFFAIRS DIRECTOR): $118,396 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Promotes the highest standard of ethics and professionalism in the practice of real estate and is the advocate for private property rights and the interests of realtors and the communities we serve.

What it reported doing in 2025

Provision of continuing educational oppertunities to real estate professionals in the middle Tennessee region

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 100% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 60
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -7%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.86; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.86; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.4% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.4% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $274K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $305K · 22 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2015 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 22/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.