THE FESSENDEN SCHOOL Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE FESSENDEN SCHOOL

EIN 04-2103574 · Education (B200)

What they do

THE FESSENDEN SCHOOL CULTIVATES EACH BOYS TALENTS and DEVELOPS IN BALANCE HIS CHARACTER, MIND, and BODY IN AN INCLUSIVE and JOYFUL COMMUNITY.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $80.00 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders34 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

75.57%of revenue went to mission work80.0% of expenses · Program services

4.96%of revenue went to fundraising5.3% of expenses

$94.47spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

13.93%of revenue went to management and office costs14.7% of expenses

$3.83in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

11.4%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $708,962 for STEVE ARMSTRONG (HEAD OF SCHOOL). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$45,159,994

Mission workProgram services$34,127,66675.57% of revenue80.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$6,292,51113.93% of revenue14.7% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$2,241,0314.96% of revenue5.3% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$2,498,7865.53% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$42,661,20894.47% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 80.0% mission · 14.7% management · 5.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.47% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 79.9% mission · 15.0% management · 5.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.36% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 79.7% mission · 15.2% management · 5.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.93% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 79.6% mission · 15.3% management · 5.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 85.98% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 80.8% mission · 14.2% management · 5.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.77% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 80.1% mission · 15.3% management · 4.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 103.87% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 81.0% mission · 12.6% management · 6.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.50% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 77.1% mission · 16.8% management · 6.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 84.62% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$45,159,994

Expenses$42,661,208

Annual surplus $2,498,786 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$34,127,666 · 80.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$6,292,511 · 14.7% of expenses

Fundraising$2,241,031 · 5.3% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$45,159,994

Expenses$42,661,208

Assets$163,240,755

Income$56,331,549

Contributions$5,138,845

Mission work (program services)$34,127,666

Fundraising$2,241,031

Management and general$6,292,511

Stocks and bonds$17,483,247

Accounting fees$148,032

Investing fees$580,354

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

STEVE ARMSTRONGHEAD OF SCHOOL · 45 hrs/week $708,962Base $535,918 · Other $173,044

ABIGAIL BUCCELLACHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $378,755Base $226,033 · Other $152,722

SEAN GUTHRIEASST HEAD OF SCHOOL · 45 hrs/week $375,059Base $174,231 · Other $200,828

BRANDON ODOMHEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL · 45 hrs/week $293,381Base $136,826 · Other $156,555

JOHN LESAFFRECFO · 45 hrs/week $288,909Base $250,943 · Other $37,966

MICHAEL GROSSMANCOO · 45 hrs/week $275,607Base $211,312 · Other $64,295

CHRIS YOUNGDIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS · 45 hrs/week $269,613Base $138,493 · Other $131,120

SAMI ATIFDIRECTOR OF EQUITY & INCLUSION · 45 hrs/week $192,870Base $142,506 · Other $50,364

CURT LEWELLYNINNOVATION CENTER DIRECTOR · 45 hrs/week $186,707Base $144,996 · Other $41,711

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (34)

STEVE ARMSTRONGHEAD OF SCHOOL

ABIGAIL BUCCELLACHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

SEAN GUTHRIEASST HEAD OF SCHOOL

BRANDON ODOMHEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

JOHN LESAFFRECFO

MICHAEL GROSSMANCOO

CHRIS YOUNGDIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS

SAMI ATIFDIRECTOR OF EQUITY & INCLUSION

CURT LEWELLYNINNOVATION CENTER DIRECTOR

VINCENT MONTEMAGGIORETRUSTEE/TREASURER

SOL KUMINTRUSTEE/PRESIDENT

SOPHIA SUNTRUSTEE

TAD S YANAGITRUSTEE/VICE PRESIDENT

PETER FOLANTRUSTEE

MICHELLE SANCHEZTRUSTEE

TARA CIONGOLITRUSTEE/CLERK

MELANIE HOFFMEISTERTRUSTEE

TJ DOUGLASTRUSTEE

LIZ SHORTSLEEVETRUSTEE

LAUREL FERRETTITRUSTEE

KATE LENESSTRUSTEE

JOE ROGERSTRUSTEE

JIHOON PARKTRUSTEE

HIREN MANKODITRUSTEE

HERBERT HOLTZTRUSTEE

DONALD FORNESTRUSTEE

DEVIN CONDRONTRUSTEE

DAVE DAGLIOTRUSTEE

CRAIG MAURERTRUSTEE

BADAR KHANTRUSTEE

ASHANA HURDTRUSTEE

AMANDA LOVEJOYTRUSTEE

ALEX MARXTRUSTEE

ADAM ABRAMSONTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1937
Location: 250 WALTHAM STREET, WEST NEWTON, MA 02465
County: Middlesex
In care of: JOHN LESAFFRE
Primary officer: JOHN LESAFFRE, CFO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailadmissions@fessenden.org Phone(617) 964-5350

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: RSM US LLP
NTEE classification: Education (B200)