The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043256902
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6173737399
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Remedial Reading, Reading Encouragement

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$331,832
Expenses
$458,871
Assets
$1,113,432
Liabilities
$9,448

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

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • FREDERICK WARBURG (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • HALLEY LE BRETON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AS OF 01/25)
  • CARRIE COUGHLIN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THRU 01/25)

Highest reported compensation

  • CARRIE COUGHLIN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THRU 01/25): $128,853 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 mission of maxcourage is to empower students to discover the value of courage and develop english language arts (ela) proficiency. The program, through its mission, helps students recognize their capacity to address the troubling complexities of their world by exploring the concept of courage in literature, in their own lives, and in the broader community. At the same time, this sel approach strengthens their literacy skills. Maxcourage's overarching vision is to provide a model ela curriculum which empowers students to learn about and continue to exhibit courage in their lives, and which inspires others to make bolder and more courageous choices.

What it reported doing in 2024

For 34 years, the max warburg courage curriculum (maxcourage) has supported students and teachers in boston and beyond with our free english language arts (ela) and social-emotional learning (sel) curriculum. Maxcourage was initially created to serve boston public schools. In recent years, maxcourage has been continued in boston, while expanding to Massachusetts gateway cities and new england states. Approximately 6,000 children worldwide participate in the program each year.since 2021, maxcourage has expanded national participation by 88% to meet the demand for teachers and students sel and ela academic needs post pandemic. Additionally, a new out-of-school time program, the maxcourage writer's workshop series, offered access to curriculum and an essay contest for those in after-school programs and summer camps. The annual publication of student essays, the courage of children: boston and beyond, reflected this growth with a book that was 33% larger than in prior years.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 89% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.3%; rating input score 99
  • Program expense ratio: 61.4%; rating input score 61
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.62 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -38.3%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.43; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 28.1%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.3% of revenue deployed · 61.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $282K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $129K · 24 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.