The Lean Lab is a kansas city-based community that launches transformational education innovations that have national impact. The Lean Lab catalyzes, supports, and develops education innovators who build transformational education solutions in the form of technologies, services, and new school models.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
63¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$161K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2022 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
1 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $123K a year · 9% of revenue · last 5 filings
Concern: a surplus in 1 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
63%
of spending
Worth a look: 63% of spending went to programs; under 65%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$161K
to officers and key staff · 11% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 11% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
5 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 5.0 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $80K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$3K
0.5% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 0% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$718K
-38% vs prior year
Spent
$1.5M
To programs
63%
Net assets
$644K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$718K
FY2022▼ -38%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$1.6M
FY2021$1.2M
FY2022$718K
FY2024$896K
FY2025$2.4M
Expenses
$1.5M
FY2022▲ +19%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$1.1M
FY2021$1.3M
FY2022$1.5M
FY2024$1.1M
FY2025$2.5M
Net assets
$644K
FY2022▼ -55%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.4M
FY2021$1.4M
FY2022$644K
FY2024$386K
FY2025$323K

From the FY2022 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2022 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Nov 2014.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

63 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 63% · $944K Management & general 35% · $527K Fundraising 2% · $23K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

10 people listed on the 990; $161K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Di
$161,367Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Catherine Boody’s $163K as Executive Director is at the 71st percentile of top reported officer pay among 3395 $1–10M education nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2022
Catherine Boody$162,504$163,092$161,367

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Launches and supports education innovations with national impact.

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Provided by the organization

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2 programs · $671K · in their own filed words · FY2022
01

We are a nonprofit organization that specializes in codesign research between education technology companies and schools. We match parents, learners, and educators with edtech developers to inform, develop, and evaluate the next generation of classroom tools.

$364Kprogram expense
02

Leanlab hosts ongoing community convening events for parents, students, educators and innovators interested in innovating to better public schools within the kansas city, missouri region. These events take the form of small focus groups, monthly meetups, and an annual listening tour with the goal of identifying community needs for…

$307Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$80K
Grants paid · 2 grants · $76K · 2023–2023
Innovateedu INCNY · FY2023$50,000
Cambiar EducationCA · FY2023$25,500

By the numbers

The FY2022 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$718K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$591K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$127K
Investment incomeLn 3$431
Money outPt IX
$1.5M
Ln 25
Programscol B$944K
Managementcol C$527K
Fundraisingcol D$23K
Owns and owesPt X
$644K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$626K
Total assetsLn 16$647K
LiabilitiesLn 26$3K
PeoplePt VI, VII
10
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a0
IndependentVI 1b0
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$591K
Government grantsLn 1e$59K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$127K
Investment incomeLn 3$431
Total revenueLn 12$718K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$626K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$626K
Other assetsLn 15$795
Total assetsLn 16$647K
LiabilitiesLn 26$3K
Net assetsLn 32$644K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 58
VolunteersI 640
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY22End FY22
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.4M$626K
Total assetsLn 16$1.4M$647K
LiabilitiesLn 26$17K$3K
Net assetsLn 32$1.4M$644K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$869K$654K$215K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$78K$59K$19K
Payroll taxesLn 10$65K$49K$16K
Management feesLn 11a$5K$5K
Legal feesLn 11b$9K$9K
Accounting feesLn 11c$69K$69K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$57K$48K$9K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$4K$4K
Office expensesLn 13$7K$7K
Information technologyLn 14$13K$3K$10K
OccupancyLn 16$15K$15K
TravelLn 17$27K$27K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$81K$58K$23K
InsuranceLn 23$4K$4K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$190K$68K$122K
All other expensesLn 24e$110$110
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.5M$944K$527K$23K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $2.4M$2.5M−$63K$323K 990 PDF
FY2024 $896K$1.1M−$218K$386K 990 PDF
FY2023 Not on file
FY2022 Viewing $718K$1.5M−$776K$644K 990 PDF
FY2021 $1.2M$1.3M−$89K$1.4M 990 PDF
FY2020 $1.6M$1.1M$533K$1.4M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support J · Pay O · Explanations
See the full FY2022 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $718,019 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $1,043,287$590,635
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $123,449$126,953
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $469$431
I-11 Other revenue$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $1,167,205$718,019
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $810,513$1,011,887
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $445,440$481,702
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $1,255,953$1,493,589
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$88,748−$775,570
Part VI · Governance no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body0
VI-1b Independent voting members0
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $718,019 across 6 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$58,887
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$531,748
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$590,635
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $126,953$126,953
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $431$431
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $126,953 · Excluded from tax $431$718,019
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,493,589 across 16 lines filed
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $654,179 · Management $214,533$868,712
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $59,480 · Management $18,762$78,242
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $49,315 · Management $15,618$64,933
IX-11a Management feesManagement $5,225$5,225
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $9,048$9,048
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $69,418$69,418
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $48,392 · Management $8,717$57,109
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $3,620$3,620
IX-13 Office expensesManagement $6,944$6,944
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $2,707 · Management $10,450$13,157
IX-16 OccupancyManagement $15,243$15,243
IX-17 TravelManagement $26,674$26,674
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $58,441 · Fundraising $22,700$81,141
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $4,023$4,023
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $67,903 · Management $122,087$189,990
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $110$110
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $944,147 · Management $526,742 · Fundraising $22,700$1,493,589
Part X · Balance sheet $647,443 assets, 12 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $1,399,643$626,014
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $20,850$20,500
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $14,600$134
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $1,795$795
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $1,436,888$647,443
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $4,415$3,332
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $12,857$65
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $17,272$3,397
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $1,313,850$462,483
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $105,766$181,563
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $1,419,616$644,046
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $1,436,888$647,443
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $644,046 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$718,019
XI-2 Total expenses$1,493,589
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$775,570
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$1,419,616
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$644,046

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2022 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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