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Austin TX | IRS ruling year: 1985 | EIN: 74-2369020
Organization Mission
Communities In Schools of Central Texas (CISCT) surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
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, weighted as follows: 90% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability. 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!
Score
Most Recent Fiscal Year:
FY 2021
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
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Full Credit
Partial Credit
No CreditMajority Independent Board Members - 100% independent members8 out of 8 points Majority Independent Board Members - 100% independent members8 out of 8 points
Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. We check to see if at least 50% of board members are indentified as independent on their tax form.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Board Size - 24 independent members7 out of 7 points Independent Board Size - 24 independent members7 out of 7 points
Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. For most organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least three board members. For large, donor-funded organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least five independent board members
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - Yes15 out of 15 points Independent Audit or Financial Review - Yes15 out of 15 points
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 |
| $2 million or higher and 40% or higher donor support | Expected to complete an audit and have an audit oversight committee |
| $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
Material Diversion of Assets - None10 out of 10 points Material Diversion of Assets - None10 out of 10 points
A diversion of assets — any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft — also can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We review the charity's most recent IRS Form 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditWebsite Listed on Tax Form - Listed2 out of 2 points Website Listed on Tax Form - Listed2 out of 2 points
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the IRS 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
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed4 out of 4 points Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed4 out of 4 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the IRS 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
Whistleblower Policy - Listed4 out of 4 points Whistleblower Policy - Listed4 out of 4 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the IRS 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
Document Retention and Destruction - Listed4 out of 4 points Document Retention and Destruction - Listed4 out of 4 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the IRS 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
Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes2 out of 2 points Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes2 out of 2 points
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the IRS 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
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditTax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Missing0 out of 4 points Tax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Missing0 out of 4 points
For almost all charities, we check the charity's IRS Form 990 to see if it discloses that the Form 990 is available on the charity's website. As with the audited financial statement, donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditLiabilities to Assets: Ratio - 6.01%15 out of 15 points Liabilities to Assets: Ratio - 6.01%15 out of 15 points
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent IRS Form 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization's solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense: Ratio - 84.11%25 out of 25 points Program Expense: Ratio - 84.11%25 out of 25 points
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three IRS Forms 990). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
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.
No Data Available
Salary data is coming soon.
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
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 (Communities In Schools of Central Texas) or EIN (742369020) in the 'Search Term' field.
Not Currently Scored
Communities In Schools of Central Texas cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Not Currently Scored
Communities In Schools of Central Texas cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Score
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 CreditMission 10/10 points Mission 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
Note: The organization did not respond to this question.
Vision 10/10 points Vision 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
CISCT envisions a Central Texas where all children have access to needed school-based support, resources, and opportunities so they are successful in school, graduate, and become contributing members of society.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals 20/20 points Goals 20/20 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Succeed in school: We will ensure that CISCT students improve academics, behavior, & attendance so they are on track for graduation and post-secondary opportunities.
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Goal Two: Achieve in life: We will ensure more students attain a post-secondary credential because education is the ticket to a secure future that can bolster racial & economic equity within our communities.
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Leadership Development 15/15 points Leadership Development 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
CISCT has partnered with Leadership Austin to create and operate its own "Communities In Schools Leadership Academy" to develop and grow current and future leaders. This 6-month leadership development curriculum is taught by an experienced community leader and attended by cohorts of CISCT employees who are selected by external reviewers through a competitive application process.
Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
Strategic partnerships: CISCT collaborates with more than 75 nonprofit partners to form the “community of support” that provides a comprehensive set of services for Central Texas students. Collective impact: CISCT participates in many coalitions or collaborative groups targeting issues related to its work, including the Ready Families Collaborative and One Voice Central Texas. Thought leadership: Agency leaders regularly present at conferences or other community events as subject matter experts. Awareness-raising: CISCT employs a team of experienced communications professionals who engage in a comprehensive set of public awareness and marketing initiatives in order to raise awareness of the organization and the issues it seeks to improve. Community-building: Staff regularly educate/train community members and stakeholders about the barriers facing students and the tools needed to overcome them. We engage families through activities, and seek stakeholder input through an annual survey.
Adaptability Story 30/30 points Adaptability Story 30/30 points
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
After 25 years of supporting male student success, CISCT launched the new Male Student Achievement Program (MSAP) in fall 2023. We have brought together resources, best practices, and programmatic learnings from our chapter of the My Brother's Keeper Scholars (MBKS) program and CISCT's longstanding XY-Zone program to guide this new initiative. We are grateful for the tireless efforts of our Male Leadership Coaches (formerly XY-Zone Coordinators) and Higher Education Coaches (formerly MBKS Higher Ed Advisors), who are undertaking the launch of the program within 12 high schools across 5 school districts. Through their hard work, MSAP will provide culturally responsive workforce development and post-secondary readiness for male students to set them up for college and career success. MSAP will build from our deep work in schools and classrooms to bolster the academic performance of our most marginalized students. The research is clear: positive relationships work for all students. Students with at least one caring developmental relationship are 55% more likely to enroll in college, 78% more likely to volunteer regularly, and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions than their unmentored peers. Yet we know that sometimes individual interventions are not enough, so we are also announcing the launch of the Male Student Success Coalition (MSSC), to unite community leaders in a shared commitment to improving academic outcomes for male students in Central Texas. This group of passionate change-makers will uplift and empower boys to succeed in school and achieve in life.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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