The Learning Center of Palo Alto Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 942421579
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Palo Alto, CA, USA
- Phone
- 6503256683
- Rating
- 71
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,402,496
- Expenses
- $1,413,058
- Assets
- $1,633,197
- Liabilities
- $218,836
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- McHale Newport Berra (President)
Highest reported compensation
- Paula Evans-Fitch (Executive Dir.): $155,568 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 Learning Center's mission is to nurture the growth of children and families. We work to inspire a lifetime love of learning through thoughtful play and exploration in a respectful and compassionate environment.
What it reported doing in 2024
FundraisingAnnual AppealLike many non-profit [501(c)(3)] organizations, TLC makes an appeal to its constituents on an annual basis to encourage charitable giving to the organization. Each year TLC receives donations at a variety of levels; regardless of the amount, each familys donation is greatly appreciated. The annual appeal runs from October through the end of the fiscal year in June. But because the donations are tax deductible, we remind families about this appeal toward the end of the calendar year, as some families like to factor charitable giving into their holiday or tax preparation plans. Contributions to the annual appeal are welcomed at any time of year. Donate Your DepositWhen your child leaves The Learning Center, you have the opportunity to make a tax deductible donation of all or part of the original deposit you made when enrolling in the program. This request allows for an opportunity to reflect on the impact TLC has had on your child as they move on to the next phase in their education.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 88% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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 the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 64
- Transparency & Controls: 75
- Accountability: 79
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 69.3%; rating input score 69
- Program expense ratio: 75.9%; rating input score 76
- Fundraising efficiency: $1.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 4; 4th 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; 76th 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: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -0.8%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.16; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 69.3% of revenue deployed · 75.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $156K · 8 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 4/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.