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1218 CENTRAL AVE STE 5
Albany NY 12205-5329
Albany NY | IRS ruling year: 2001 | EIN: 14-1823014
TO ASSIST ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE.
Great
This charity's score is 96%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 32% Accountability & Finance, 50% Impact & Results, 7% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Capital Region Sponsor Scholar Inc. is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Capital Region Sponsor Scholar Inc. has earned a 88% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
Learn more
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not ApplicableBoard Composition - 32/32 - 25/25 ptsBoard Composition - 32/32 - 25/25 pts
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - Has Audit/Review - 20/20 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - Has Audit/Review - 20/20 pts
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
|---|---|
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsConflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 ptsBoard Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Listed - 3/3 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Website - Listed - 3/3 ptsWebsite - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 3.49% - 15/15 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 3.49% - 15/15 pts
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
| Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| Less than 50% | Full Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
| 60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Ratio - 68.61% - 13/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 68.61% - 13/25 pts
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
| Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| 70% or higher | Full Credit |
| 60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
| Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Activity data not reported from the IRS
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Capital Region Sponsor Scholar Inc.) or EIN (141823014) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Capital Region Sponsor Scholar Inc. reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Grants Received
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Ability to fundraise was impacted both from individuals as well as grant support. Some funding was shifted to direct relief organizations. However, expenses were also reduced helping to minimize the impact.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
We shifted to a virtual environment in program delivery so we were still able to serve the same number of students. Some aspects of the program were not able to happen like trips to businesses and college campuses.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Everything was shifted to an online, virtual environment.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We plan to continue a hybrid model of in-person and virtual components for meetings when applicable (board and committee meetings, guest speakers during student sessions, etc). Switched to all electronic documentation, signatures, and filing. Reduced use of paper.
Capital Region Sponsor Scholar Inc. has earned a 100% for the Impact & Results beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon estimates the actual impact a charity has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot Applicable
Program
Scholarship Program
Activities
Capital Region Sponsor Scholar Inc grants scholarships to beneficiaries.
Program Type
Postsecondary Scholarships
Beneficiaries Served
Students;People living in poverty
Program Geography
Albany, NY
Time Period of Data
7/1/2016 to 6/30/2017
Outcomes: Changes in the lives of those served by a nonprofit. They can be caused by the nonprofit.
Costs: The money spent by a nonprofit and its partners and beneficiaries.
Impact: Outcome caused by a nonprofit relative to its cost.
Cost-effectiveness: A judgment as to whether the cost was a good use of resources to cause the outcome.
Outcome Metric
Increase in income for a scholarship recipient
Outcome Data Source
Ratings are based on data the nonprofit itself collects on its work. We use the most recent year with sufficient data. Typically, this data allows us to calculate direct changes in participants' lives, such as increased income.
Method for Attributing Outcomes
We don't know if the observed changes were caused by the nonprofit's program or something else happening at the same time (e.g., a participant got a raise). To determine causation, we take the outcomes we observe and subtract an estimate of the outcomes that would have happened even without the program (i.e., counterfactual outcomes).
We estimate the increase in income caused by a nonprofit's scholarship program in two steps. First, we compare the estimated postsecondary graduation rate of its scholars to that of comparable students who did not receive a scholarship (the “counterfactual”). Our estimates are drawn from rigorous social science studies of similar scholarship programs. The result is the number of scholars whose graduation was caused by the nonprofit. Second, we compare the earnings of graduates to non-graduates based on publicly available census data, matching on student demographic characteristics. We apply the earnings boost owing to a degree to those scholars whose graduation was caused by the nonprofit. Both steps are necessary to properly net out counterfactual successes from observed successes. Otherwise, we would be attributing changes (increase in graduation rate and increase in earnings) to the nonprofit when they would have happened anyway. Few nonprofits estimate the counterfactual themselves, so we construct our own counterfactual estimate based on research and publicly available data.
Cost Data Source
After estimating the program's outcomes, we need to determine how much it cost to achieve those outcomes. All monetary costs are counted, whether they are borne by a nonprofit service deliverer or by the nonprofit’s public and private partners.
Cost Calculation
$130,663 program costs + $64,574 partner costs + $64,574 beneficiary costs = $259,811 total costs
We calculate impact, defined as the change in outcomes attributable to a program divided by the cost to achieve those outcomes.
Impact Calculation
$259,811 total costs / $609,190 additional income = roughly $3,800 increases income for a scholarship recipient in need by $8,800.
Benchmark for Rating
Impact & Results scores of postsecondary scholarship programs are based on income generated relative to cost. Programs receive an Impact & Results score of 100 if they increase income for a recipient by more than $1.50 for every $1 spent and a score of 80 if income increases by more than $0.85 for every $1 spent. If a nonprofit reports impact but doesn't meet the benchmark for cost-effectiveness, it earns a score of 65.
Determination
Highly cost-effective
Capital Region Sponsor Scholar Inc. reported its largest program on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
EXPENSES INCURRED FOR MEETINGS, TRAINING, AND COORDINATION OF FUTURE BENEFITS TO BE DISTRIBUTED. FUTURE BENEFITS TO BE DISTRIBUTED ARE TO ASSIST ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO GRADU ... (More)
EXPENSES INCURRED FOR MEETINGS, TRAINING, AND COORDINATION OF FUTURE BENEFITS TO BE DISTRIBUTED. FUTURE BENEFITS TO BE DISTRIBUTED ARE TO ASSIST ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE. CAPITAL REGION SPONSOR-A-SCHOLAR, INC. SERVES 90 STUDENTS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND 150 IN COLLEGE FOR A TOTAL OF 240 STUDENTS PER YEAR. (Less)
Capital Region Sponsor Scholar Inc. has earned a 96% for the Culture & Community beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 ptsConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 pts
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
Beginning with students in high school and continuing through college.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.)
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects
With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve?
Our board, Other means
How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship with them or shifted power - over decisions, resources, rules or in other ways - to them?
Asking for their feedback and opinions give them more power and sense of belonging in the program.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
Changed our application and selection process to be more inclusive to all students rather than those only identified by school counselors. Asked the same set of questions for each student and had a volunteer selection committee to collaborate on the selection of students for the program.
Equity Practices - Data Available - 95/100 ptsEquity Practices - Data Available - 95/100 pts
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 95 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 9 Equity Practices. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective equity policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Equity Practices (5/7) | |
|---|---|
We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. | |
We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and/or portfolios. | |
We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization/'s programs, portfolios, and the populations served. | |
We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support. | |
We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. | |
We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured | |
We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Equity Policies and Procedures (4/7) | |
|---|---|
We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity. | |
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. | |
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization. | |
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board. | |
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. | |
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. | |
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Capital Region Sponsor Scholar Inc. has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableMission - 10/10 ptsMission - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
To provide specialized programs, mentoring, professional guidance and academic and financial support for qualifying high school students in the Capital Region. By assembling a network of business leaders, educational advocates, and dedicated volunteers, promising youth are provided opportunity and access to higher education that may be otherwise unavailable.
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Through the transformative power of education and mentorship, we will equip our scholars to navigate their world leading to a more inclusive and equitable future.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals - 20/20 ptsGoals - 20/20 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Increase brand awareness.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Two: Build a solid base of diversified financial support.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Three: increase programmatic capacity.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Leadership Development - 15/15 ptsLeadership Development - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Organization implements yearly reviews to measure individuals successes and identify areas in which employees need to gain skills or exposure. Encourage employees to join groups (i.e., young leaders) to make network connections.
Mobilizing for Mission - 15/15 ptsMobilizing for Mission - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Build formal (with MOU's) and informal partnerships with like-minded organizations, businesses and colleges. Provide training to mentors and volunteers about how to work with youth using a strengths-based approach. Use of social media to highlight the important work we are doing in the community through Scholar stories.
Adaptability Story - 30/30 ptsAdaptability Story - 30/30 pts
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
When the pandemic hit last year, as with most organizations, we had to close the office and temporarily send staff home to work remotely. At that time, all of our files were only accessible within the office. We had to shift quickly to a remote work environment ensuring that all staff had computers and other equipment as well as access to the files. We moved all of our files to an online cloud which was something that we had planned to do in the future but the timeline was moved up immediately. Up until that time all of our programs were conducted in-person and we had to rethink the way we could engage with our students. The biggest obstacle was utilizing a video platform which all constituents could access. Mentoring a big part of our program and with social distancing mentors and Scholars could no longer meet in person. E-mentoring was a new concept. Guidelines and processes need to be put into place to ensure that we were still following best practices. We will continue to use a hybrid of in-person and e-mentoring moving forward.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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