Trinity Schools Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
351502075
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
South Bend, IN, USA
Phone
5742875590
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Secondary, High School

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$13,972,343
Expenses
$14,137,614
Assets
$7,081,061
Liabilities
$1,369,090

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JON BALSBAUGH (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JON BALSBAUGH (PRESIDENT): $220,254 total reported compensation
  • JOHN LEE (EMPLOYEE): $141,480 total reported compensation
  • PAUL KANE (TREASURER): $102,172 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of trinity schools is to impart basic ordered knowledge about the world and to train students in basic intellectual skills and qualities of mind so that they might be of use to god in the wise care and governance of his creation and in the building of his kingdom. We accomplish this by establishing a culture marked by the discovery of truth, the practice of goodness, the creation of beauty and the development of intellectual and aesthetic habits of mind. Trinity school is a community of learners characterized by the rigorous exploration of reality, the free and disciplined exchange of ideas, and active participation in the fine arts.

What it reported doing in 2023

The mission of trinity schools is to impart basic ordered knowledge about the world and to train students in basic intellectual skills and qualities of mind so that they might be of use to god in the wise care and governance of his creation and in the building of his kingdom. We accomplish this by establishing a culture marked by the discovery of truth, the practice of goodness, the creation of beauty, and the development of intellectual and aesthetic habits of mind. Trinity school is a community of learners characterized by the rigorous exploration of reality, the free and disciplined exchange of ideas, and active participation in the fine arts.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 93% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 74% for direct work, and 26% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 38
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 76.1%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 25%; rating input score 25; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -1.2%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.5; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.9%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76% of revenue deployed · 76.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $10.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $220K · 11 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 25/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.