The Launchcode Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
471718432
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Saint Louis, MO, USA
Phone
3142540107
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Vocational, Technical Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$13,004,552
Expenses
$15,250,237
Assets
$17,043,325
Liabilities
$4,612,676

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES MCKELVEY (PRESIDENT)
  • JULIAN NICKS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU 09/24))
  • LIN WANG (CHIEF OF STAFF, INTERIM CEO)
  • GABE LOZANO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (BEG. 10/24))

Highest reported compensation

  • JULIAN NICKS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU 09/24)): $214,871 total reported compensation
  • LIN WANG (CHIEF OF STAFF, INTERIM CEO): $150,268 total reported compensation
  • KEITH SLATER (HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY): $145,910 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Launchcode is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating economic opportunity for aspiring developers through job placement and training in technology.

What it reported doing in 2024

Launchcode increases economic opportunity and upward mobility by placing driven individuals into technology apprenticeships and jobs based on aptitude, professionalism, and skills. In 2024, we worked with 72 client partners to help our candidates overcome traditional barriers to employment such as formal degrees or years of job experience, placing 180 individuals into apprenticeships or permanent jobs in technology. Launchcode provided tech education services to 575 individuals in 2024. In pursuit of this goal, launchcode received substantial in-kind support (rent, event products, digital marketing and software licenses for candidates) valued at $415,109.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 80% 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: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.3%; rating input score 99
  • Program expense ratio: 84.7%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: -17.3%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.12; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.1%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.9% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24.1% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.3% of revenue deployed · 84.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $12.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $215K · 22 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $118K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.