GREAT LAKES ACADEMY INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

GREAT LAKES ACADEMY INC

EIN 46-1862158 · Charter Schools (B29)

What they do

to PREPARE ALL of OUR STUDENTS WITH THE FUNDAMENTAL ACADEMIC SKILLS, CRITICAL THINKING ABILITY, and STRENGTH of CHARACTER to EXCEL IN HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, and A CAREER of THEIR CHOICE. WE EMPOWERALL of OUR STUDENTS WITH THE EDUCATION TODAY THAT THEY WILL NEED to CHANGE THE WORLD TOMORROW.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $83.00 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 leaders18 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

79.03%of revenue went to mission work83.0% of expenses · Program services

1.68%of revenue went to fundraising1.8% of expenses

$95.24spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

14.52%of revenue went to management and office costs15.3% of expenses

$1.25in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

91.3%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 $233,346 for EBONIE DURHAM (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 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$11,598,487

Mission workProgram services$9,166,47779.03% of revenue83.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,684,55114.52% of revenue15.3% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$194,8531.68% of revenue1.8% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$552,6064.76% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$11,045,88195.24% 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: 83.0% mission · 15.3% management · 1.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.24% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 79.3% mission · 17.3% management · 3.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.56% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 77.2% mission · 20.0% management · 2.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.71% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 80.0% mission · 17.1% management · 2.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.54% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 73.8% mission · 20.8% management · 5.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 46.44% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 71.7% mission · 23.7% management · 4.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 121.94% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 74.3% mission · 20.2% management · 5.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 87.74% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 77.4% mission · 19.9% management · 2.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 83.39% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$11,598,487

Expenses$11,045,881

Annual surplus $552,606 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)$9,166,477 · 83.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,684,551 · 15.3% of expenses

Fundraising$194,853 · 1.8% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$11,598,487

Expenses$11,045,881

Assets$13,861,324

Income$11,670,149

Contributions$10,591,374

Mission work (program services)$9,166,477

Fundraising$194,853

Management and general$1,684,551

Accounting fees$151,670

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

EBONIE DURHAMEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 50 hrs/week $233,346Base $198,928 · Other $34,418

JOSHUA MILLERPRINCIPAL · 50 hrs/week $168,744Base $142,092 · Other $26,652

MEAGAN JOHNSONASSISTANT PRINCIPAL · 50 hrs/week $146,078Base $122,636 · Other $23,442

EMILY GARBAREKMANAGING DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS · 50 hrs/week $127,770Base $110,656 · Other $17,114

STEPHANIE BECKASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF OPERATIONS · 50 hrs/week $113,586Base $102,130 · Other $11,456

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 (18)

EBONIE DURHAMEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

JOSHUA MILLERPRINCIPAL

MEAGAN JOHNSONASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

EMILY GARBAREKMANAGING DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

STEPHANIE BECKASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF OPERATIONS

JOHN WASHINGTONBOARD CHAIR

NICOLE WOODFORKDIRECTOR

MICHAEL MESTERHARMDIRECTOR

MATTHEW SLOANDIRECTOR

KATIE MCCLAYDIRECTOR

KATHERINE CHERRYDIRECTOR

ADELINE OGBORDIRECTOR

DUANE DAVISDIRECTOR

DEION OWENSDIRECTOR

CHRISTINE CHENDIRECTOR

BRAD KARSHDIRECTOR

APARUPA BHATTACHARYAVICE CHAIR

ANDY BAKERTREASURER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2014
Location: 8401 SOUTH SAGINAW, CHICAGO, IL 60617
County: Cook
In care of: EBONIE DURHAM
Primary officer: EBONIE DURHAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@glachicago.org Phone(773) 530-3040

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CITRIN COOPERMAN ADVISORS LLC
NTEE classification: Charter Schools (B29)
IRS tax category: Charter Schools