CHARTER SCHOOL OF INQUIRY Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

CHARTER SCHOOL OF INQUIRY

EIN 47-1284283 · Primary & Elementary Schools (B24)

What they do

CHARTER SCHOOL of INQUIRY (CSI) WILL ACHIEVE BREAKTHROUGH OUTCOMES for CITY of BUFFALO CHILDREN IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 6 BY CREATING AN INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT WITH AN INTENSE FOCUS ON LEARNING to READ and WRITE WELL IN ALL SUBJECT AREAS. CSI OFFERS AN EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION USING INTENTIONAL READING and LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, ALIGNED CURRICULUM, ENGAGING INQUIRY-BASED PRACTICES, and AN OUTSTANDING SYSTEM of SUPPORTS. CHILDREN AT CSI WILL LEARN to THINK CRITICALLY, PROBLEM-SOLVE, and WORK COLLABORATIVELY to ENABLE THEIR PARTICIPATION AS CITIZENS of THEIR COMMUNITY and THE WORLD.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $82.30 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 leaders12 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

89.02%of revenue went to mission work82.3% of expenses · Program services

$108.17spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

19.16%of revenue went to management and office costs17.7% of expenses

$0.89in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

7.6%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.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $413,608 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $189,751 for JOHN SHEFFIELD (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$5,059,618

Mission workProgram services$4,503,83889.02% of revenue82.3% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$969,38819.16% of revenue17.7% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations0.00% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Total expenses$5,473,226108.17% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

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: 82.3% mission · 17.7% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 108.17% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 82.0% mission · 18.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.59% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 78.0% mission · 22.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 116.24% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 79.8% mission · 20.2% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.96% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 81.6% mission · 18.4% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 73.71% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 79.8% mission · 20.2% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 83.06% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 77.3% mission · 22.7% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.72% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 76.9% mission · 23.1% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 82.70% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$5,059,618

Expenses$5,473,226

Annual shortfall $413,608 Expenses were higher than revenue 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)$4,503,838 · 82.3% of expenses

Management and office costs$969,388 · 17.7% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$5,059,618

Expenses$5,473,226

Assets$4,864,940

Income$5,059,618

Contributions$384,147

Mission work (program services)$4,503,838

Management and general$969,388

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

JOHN SHEFFIELDHEAD OF SCHOOL · 40 hrs/week $189,751Base $155,346 · Other $34,405

LYNN MONINDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS · 40 hrs/week $108,889Base $90,581 · Other $18,308

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 (12)

JOHN SHEFFIELDHEAD OF SCHOOL

LYNN MONINDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

DELANO DOWELLTRUSTEE

EBONY EISONTREASURER

ERIC CAMPBELLVICE CHAIR

JANET PETERSTRUSTEE

LATOYA ELLIOTTPARENT REPRESENTATIVE

LEAH GILMERTRUSTEE

NICHELLE GRAYTRUSTEE

PETER DOWSECRETARY

SHANI SMITHTRUSTEE

VALERIE NOLANCHAIR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2015
Location: 404 EDISON AVE, BUFFALO, NY 14215-2936
County: Erie
In care of: JOHN SHEFFIELD
Primary officer: JOHN SHEFFIELD, HEAD OF SCHOOL

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(716) 833-3250

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: LUMSDEN & MCCORMICK LLP
NTEE classification: Primary & Elementary Schools (B24)
IRS tax category: Primary & Elementary Schools