Under the Canopy Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
872712780
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2024
Location
Tulsa, OK, USA
Phone
9182051193
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$232,998
Expenses
$340,246
Assets
$166,048
Liabilities
$206,911

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Margaritte Arthrell-Knezek (Excutive Director): $36,742 total reported compensation
  • Kristin Miller (Business Operations Manager): $32,044 total reported compensation
  • Amber Gates (Instructional Leader): $30,627 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Under the Canopy School UTCS is a nature-based public Waldorf-inspired Pre-K-Fifth school that connects students to each other and their community through active engagement with the natural environment. The schools public Waldorf model immerses students in their journey of human development and provides a rigorous academic arts and outdoor-infused curriculum that awakens individuals unique gifts and empowers them to enrich the health of their communities becoming lifelong learners.

What it reported doing in 2025

During its inaugural year Under the Canopy School focused extensively on organizational development and startup activities necessary to launch a high-quality nature-based public Waldorf charter school serving children and families in Tulsa Oklahoma. Program service accomplishments included curriculum development aligned with public Waldorf educational practices and Oklahoma academic standards staff recruitment and training community outreach and enrollment efforts operational and compliance system development facilities preparation and the establishment of governance financial and administrative infrastructure. Significant startup costs were incurred related to educational materials classroom setup and compliance requirements professional development facility improvements technology systems insurance and other foundational expenses necessary to prepare for the successful opening and long-term sustainability of the school. These investments directly supported the organizations mission of providing accessible whole-child education rooted in nature creativity and community connection.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 11
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -46%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.49; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.25; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 29.2%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $340K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $37K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.