UnboundEd

Legal name: Unbounded Learning Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
475223320
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, US
Phone
844-814-5326
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$23,152,683
Expenses
$26,242,811
Assets
$21,718,503
Liabilities
$3,630,059

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LACEY ROBINSON (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
  • SCOTT NOON (SR. VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING)

Highest reported compensation

  • LACEY ROBINSON (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $558,210 total reported compensation
  • NADYA DABBY (CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER): $387,896 total reported compensation
  • LAURA SMITH (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $382,642 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To improve instruction so every single student thrives.

What it reported doing in 2024

Local si & in person summit - unbounded's interactive local 4 days on site standards institute for a specific district and two-day summit for teachers, coaches, and leaders emphasizes instructional planning amidst a historical anti-racist movement. With an emphasis on grade-level curriculum, strategic supports, and equitable instruction, the local si & in person summit moves educators through planning processes that can produce meaningful, engaging in-person classroom experiences. Teachers & coaches leave the events better prepared to make informed decisions that address unfinished instruction while remaining in grade-level curriculum, and leaders leave the events better prepared to make decisions that ensure students have equitable access to grade-level instruction. Unbounded hosted three 4 day local standards institutes in san joaquin, milwaukee and san antonio. There were also over 50 sections of two-day summits implemented as well.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.

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: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.9%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 80.5%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.5 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -13.3%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.83; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.9%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.7% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 93.9% of revenue deployed · 80.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $21.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $558K · 13 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.4M reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.