Open Roads Academy INC

Tax-deductible

Santa Monica, CA501(c)(3)EducationEIN 74-3022678Revenue $531K in FY2024

On file with the IRSopenroads.org1223 Wilshire Blvd, 90403-5406 · Santa Monica, CATax-exempt since Jun 2002Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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Open Roads Academy, INC. Is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for financially-disadvantaged high school and college-age students that increase literacy skills as well as improve life and work readiness. The goal is give Open Roads students the tools to break the cycle of poverty. Open Roads achieves this mission through extracurricular programs that combine travel in nature with teaching of the documentary arts of film, photography, and writing. Open Roads furthers its reach through travel programs for adults and the production of documentary films with supporting impact campaigns that aim to make measurable change in the core issue areas of: educational equity, environmental protection, and human rights.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
69¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 5 volunteers.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2024 · 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
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
2 of 3
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $44K a year · 11% of revenue · last 3 filings
Fine: a surplus in 2 of the last 3 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 3 filings
Spent on programs
69%
of spending
Fine: 69% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$60K
to officers and key staff · 12% of spending
Top officer’s pay higher than 52% of similar orgs
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 12% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
3 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 3.1 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
6
named funders · $204K
Looks good: 6 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$557
0.4% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 0% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
3
of 4 voting members
Looks good: 3 of 4 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$531K
+72% vs prior year
Spent
$510K
To programs
69%
Net assets
$131K
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$531K
FY2024▲ +72%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$101K
FY2021$111K
FY2022$341K
FY2023$308K
FY2024$531K
Expenses
$510K
FY2024▲ +55%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020Not on file
FY2021Not on file
FY2022$210K
FY2023$329K
FY2024$510K
Net assets
$131K
FY2024▲ +18%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$32
FY2021$736
FY2022$132K
FY2023$111K
FY2024$131K

From the FY2024 Form 990 · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jun 2002.

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

Where the money goes

69 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 69% · $354K Management & general 25% · $126K Fundraising 6% · $31K

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

4 people listed on the 990; $60K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
$60,000Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Roger Bristowe’s $60K as Secretary is at the 52nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 1613 $100K–1M 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.

See Open Roads Academy INC executive salaries →

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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 2Yes
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

Provides educational opportunities through nature travel and documentary arts to improve life skills and break poverty cycles.

Provided by the organization

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1 program · $354K · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

Open roads academy, inc. Promotes documentary storytelling and experiential learning as tools for life-long learning and personal development. From that platform, the primary goal is to use the creative process of documentary storytelling to help adolescents from diverse backgrounds enhance self-confidence and build essential…

$354Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

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

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
See all 6 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$531K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$531K
Money outPt IX
$510K
Ln 25
Programscol B$354K
Managementcol C$126K
Fundraisingcol D$31K
Owns and owesPt X
$131K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$132K
Total assetsLn 16$132K
LiabilitiesLn 26$557
PeoplePt VI, VII
4
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a4
IndependentVI 1b3
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$531K
Total revenueLn 12$531K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$132K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$132K
Total assetsLn 16$132K
LiabilitiesLn 26$557
Net assetsLn 32$131K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 50
VolunteersI 65
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY24End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$119K$132K
Total assetsLn 16$119K$132K
LiabilitiesLn 26$8K$557
Net assetsLn 32$111K$131K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$745$745
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$60K$60K
Legal feesLn 11b$625$625
Accounting feesLn 11c$10K$10K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$87K$62K$25K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$4K$4K
Office expensesLn 13$3K$1K$2K
TravelLn 17$84K$83K$350
InterestLn 20$10K$10K
InsuranceLn 23$4K$4K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$225K$141K$82K$3K
All other expensesLn 24e$23K$6K$14K$4K
Total functional expensesLn 25$510K$354K$126K$31K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest Viewing $531K$510K$20K$131K 990 PDF
FY2023 $308K$329K−$21K$111K 990 PDF
FY2022 $341K$210K$131K$132K 990 PDF
FY2021 $111K$736 990 PDF
FY2020 $101K$32 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $530,969 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $307,673$530,969
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $0$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $0$0
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $496$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $308,169$530,969
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $103$745
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $53,000$60,000
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $275,997$449,747
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $329,100$510,492
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$20,931$20,477
Part VI · Governance 3 of 4 board members independent, 4 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body4
VI-1b Independent voting members3
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $530,969 across 3 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$530,969
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$530,969
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$530,969
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $510,492 across 12 lines filed
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $745$745
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $60,000$60,000
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $625$625
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $9,500$9,500
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $61,898 · Fundraising $24,705$86,603
IX-12 Advertising and promotionManagement $3,639$3,639
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $1,321 · Management $1,923$3,244
IX-17 TravelPrograms $83,413 · Management $350$83,763
IX-20 InterestManagement $10,086$10,086
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $4,115$4,115
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $140,920 · Management $81,663 · Fundraising $2,731$225,314
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $5,540 · Management $13,798 · Fundraising $3,520$22,858
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $353,837 · Management $125,699 · Fundraising $30,956$510,492
Part X · Balance sheet $132,032 assets, 6 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $118,926$132,032
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $118,926$132,032
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $7,928$557
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $7,928$557
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $110,998$131,475
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $118,926$132,032
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $131,475 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$530,969
XI-2 Total expenses$510,492
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$20,477
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$110,998
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$131,475

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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