Wa Charters Action

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
475599167
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2064242780
Rating
91
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis

Reported finances

Revenue
$215,950
Expenses
$547,569
Assets
$525,620
Liabilities
$50,472

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NATALIE HESTER (CO-PRESIDENT, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS)
  • ELIZABETH HAID BLOXHAM (CO-PRESIDENT, FINANCE & OPS)
  • REKHA BHATT (CO-PRESIDENT, INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS)

Highest reported compensation

  • NATALIE HESTER (CO-PRESIDENT, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS): $256,455 total reported compensation
  • REKHA BHATT (CO-PRESIDENT, INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS): $253,404 total reported compensation
  • ELIZABETH HAID BLOXHAM (CO-PRESIDENT, FINANCE & OPS): $253,030 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We advocate for & support a thriving, innovative charter public school sector that upholds quality via student centered, community-rooted schools & aspires to disrupt a systematically racist & inequitable education system.

What it reported doing in 2024

Policy and advocacy: wa charters action works with community and state partners to ensure that state policies and laws continue to support the implementation of high-quality charter public schools in order to promote innovative practices and improved outcomes for all students.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 73% for direct work, and 27% for grants.

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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 96.1%; rating input score 96
  • Fundraising efficiency: $45.8 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • 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; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -153.6%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.96; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.9%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.3% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.7% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 96.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $526K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $256K · 7 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $111K reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 3 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 39/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.