Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Aug 2018.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
63 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
12 people listed on the 990; $202K paid to officers and key staff.
Lakenna R Booker’s $143K as Head of School is at the 60th 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakenna R Booker | $143,046 | — | — | — | — |
| Lakenna Booker | — | $118,672 | $117,720 | $101,824 | $107,500 |
| Betty McCline | — | $83,454 | $84,353 | $72,167 | $68,000 |
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.
See Memphis Merit Academy executive salaries →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
Educates Memphis K-8 students for future success with strong academics and character building.
Questions for Memphis Merit Academy
Your first name shows with your question. Memphis Merit Academy answers here, for everyone.
Program services consist of providing educational curriculum and instruction in an effort to develop academic acumen and leadership skills necessary for students to excel in high school, thrive in college, and lead lives full of opportunity.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2023 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY23 | End FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $607K | $527K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $593K | $2.4M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $2.6M | $4.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.6M | $3.1M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $936K | $1.1M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $202K | $202K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $1.6M | $1.2M | $446K | |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $330K | $213K | $116K | |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $843K | $427K | $416K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $71K | $64K | $7K | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $415K | $374K | $42K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $903K | $526K | $377K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $4.4M | $2.8M | $1.6M | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Dec 22, 2025 | $6.7M | $6.6M | $78K | $989K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Feb 18, 2025 | $5.6M | $5.9M | −$213K | $859K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 ViewingFiled with the IRS May 15, 2024 | $4.5M | $4.4M | $150K | $1.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Mar 11, 2023 | $3.4M | $3.2M | $228K | $936K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Jan 12, 2022 | $2.4M | $2.1M | $299K | $821K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $4,545,144 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 10 of 10 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $4,545,144 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $4,395,049 across 7 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $4,151,763 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,085,714 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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