The Hardy Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
383917592
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Columbus, OH, USA
Phone
6142673733
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public, Society Benefit N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$854,332
Expenses
$343,377
Assets
$106,361
Liabilities
$56,432

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • STEPHEN GARLAND (EXECUTIVE DI): $16,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Mission: we build the critical thinkers, problem solvers, and contributors to society the future demands. Vision: transforming underserved communities one hardy kid at a time. The hardy center is a nonprofit educational and youth development organization serving k8 students from underserved communities through year-round academic and developmental programming. The afterschool academic achievement program provides individualized and small-group tutoring, homework support, and academic intervention designed primarily to strengthen literacy and mathematics proficiency during the school year. The summer pathways program extends that work through an intensive summer experience combining continued academic development with enrichment and exposure to stem, technology, arts and culture, leadership, financial literacy, career pathways, skilled trades, and life skills. Together, these programs establish academic proficiency as a foundation while developing critical thinking, problem-solving, con

What it reported doing in 2025

The hardy center has experienced meaningful growth across all areas of our program-supporting more students, engaging more families, and expanding our team of dedicated tutors. Our mission to bridge learning gaps has positively transformed the academic trajectories of the children we serve. Notably, 90% of our students are now performing at or above grade level. Students in kindergarten through third grade averaged 89% in reading on their report cards, exceeding expectations. On the reading a-z platform, 100% of students made measurable progress toward the next reading level, with more than 30% advancing by at least one level in just two months of focused instruction. This success is driven by our high-dose tutoring model, delivering nearly 300 additional hours of academic practice each year. Led by retired educators and college students, this approach accelerates learning, closes achievement gaps, and strengthens literacy. Curriculum pacing guides ensure alignment with academic standards, improving student engagement, attendance, and homework completion rates, which are now nearing 100%. Teachers also report increased classroom participation from hardy center students. Our impact extends beyond academics. Many students face personal challenges outside of school, but at the hardy center, they find a safe and nurturing environment where they are valued and supported. Each day includes a warm meal, individualized tutoring, and a caring community. Our summer program broadens student experiences with enrichment opportunities they may not otherwise access-such as swimming, karate, fencing, unicycling, art, chess, lego learning, and industrial arts. Educational field trips to places like cosi and the Ohio statehouse deepen their learning. We also teach practical life skills-shoe-tying, penmanship, time-telling, and etiquette-fostering independence and confidence. As we reflect on our progress, we see the undeniable impact of our mission in action. Our students are proving every day that potential is not limited by zip code. We remain committed to helping them grow in knowledge, character, and confidence, while expanding our staff, programming, and community partnerships to sustain and scale this impact.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

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: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 56
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 35%; rating input score 35
  • Program expense ratio: 87.2%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $200.27 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 59.8%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.31; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.53; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.8%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 35% of revenue deployed · 87.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $299K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $16K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2025
  • 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 35/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 51/100.