Waldorf School Assoc of Seattle

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911095411
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2065245320
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Kindergarten, Preschool, Nursery School, Early Admissions

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,731,977
Expenses
$6,804,090
Assets
$13,976,531
Liabilities
$5,559,561

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRIGITTE BERTSCHI (PRESIDENT)
  • EVA ELLIOT (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • VANESSA KOHLHAAS (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $227,631 total reported compensation
  • MIKE EWANCIW (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & OPERATIONS): $122,098 total reported compensation
  • LEA WERBEL (DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS & DEVELOPMENT): $115,901 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 seattle waldorf school mission is: daily we strive to inspire learning, courage, and joy in the developing human being.

What it reported doing in 2024

Founded in 1980, seattle waldorf school serves approximately 200 students in preschool through grade 8 in ne seattle. At sws, we prepare students to thrive as adaptable, future-ready problem-solvers and leaders. Our developmentally aligned curriculum fosters academic strength, emotional intelligence, creativity, and resilience. With an emphasis on experiential education and interdisciplinary work, students learn to think critically, communicate effectively, problem-solve collaboratively, and lead with empathyskills essential for success in college, careers, and life in this ever-changing world. Our students learn, play, and experience education together with joy and courage every day. Our curriculum aligns with the stages of child development and cognitive awakening in key phases of childhood. Birth to 7 years, 7 to 14. In the earliest years, children learn primarily by imitation and activity, and our early childhood programs use exploration and play as a foundation for independent thought and creative thinking. In grade school, storytelling and art are employed as teaching vehicles as students develop core academic skills through collaborative problem-solving and group participation.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 82% 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 77% for direct work, and 23% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66.1%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 75%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 12%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.05; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.8%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66.1% of revenue deployed · 75% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $228K · 14 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.