Beacon Academy Inc General Information 477 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA 2215 (617) 96-776 Website www.beaconacademy.org Organization Contact Marsha Feinberg marshafeinberg@gmail.com Year of Incorporation 25 1
Statements & Search Criteria Mission Statement Beacon Academy provides a transformational year between 8th and 9th grades to promising, motivated and hard-working students from Boston and surrounding urban areas. Inspired by a challenging curriculum and stimulating co-curricular experiences, students learn vital academic skills and develop habits of mind that empower them to change the trajectory of their lives. They emerge as active learners with increased confidence, critical thinking skills, and broader vision, prepared to thrive at competitive independent high schools that share our commitment to their success. Beacon Academy supports its alumni as they continue their journeys. The school welcomes opportunities to work in partnership with teachers and schools to help create and maintain inclusive communities for all. Background Statement Founded in 25, Beacon Academy, the first school of this kind in the country, offers urban students 14 months of full-time school between the 8th and 9th grades to prepare them academically, socially, and culturally to thrive in competitive independent high schools and 4-year colleges. Founders, Cindy Laba and Marsha Feinberg, were well qualified to envision and build Beacon given their leadership experiences at City Year, Citizen Schools and other non-profit organizations. In 23, as Vice President of a Boston charter high school, Cindy observed 68 of 73 students receive failing grades in at least one class during the first quarter of their freshman year, which put them on a 5-year track to high school completion. Two-thirds dropped out before graduation. Simultaneously, Marsha was aware of the challenges facing independent high schools in recruiting and retaining urban students. The educational, cultural and socio-economic divide was ever widening between rich and poor. Together with Mervan Osborne, a 13-year veteran teacher from Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, these three leaders recruited talented teachers, hard-working volunteers, and generous donors to create a sustainable and replicable model. Beacon mitigates the crisis in education among economically disadvantaged students through our intense academic and cultural program and our continued investment in our graduates. Our high school graduation rate is 1%; and, of our 129 high school graduates, 92% have either graduated from four-year colleges or are still pursuing a four-year degree. 2
Impact Statement Since opening its doors in July 25, Beacon Academy has graduated 24 students. Collectively, our graduates have earned over $45 million in scholarship funding for high school and college. We have a 1% high school graduation rate, and, of our high school graduates, approximately 92% are enrolled in or have graduated from college. Organizational Goals and Objectives 1) 1% of our alumni will graduate from independent high schools supported by adequate financial aid. 2) 1% of our graduates will attend schools in which they will perform to their academic, social and leadership potential. 3) 1% of our alumni will graduate from four year colleges. 4) Beacon alumni, volunteers, and staff will partner with independent schools to improve the overall experience for low-income students of color and their families. Needs Statement Beacon Academy has two primary needs: tuition support for our students and general operating funds for the Alumni Program. Tuition Support A 14-month Beacon Academy education costs $3,. Our families are able to contribute less than 1% of the cost of tuition. Beacon Academy raises private funds for the remainder. Alumni Program We stay connected to our alumni through high school, college, and into their time as professionals in the work force. Navigating and excelling in the elite worlds of independent schools and competitive colleges is a challenging and sometimes overwhelming task for our graduates. We are able to provide some financial support, as well as continued engagement through our five annual alumni events, personal visits from Beacon teachers at new schools, care packages, and comprehensive college advising including essay writing boot camps, and SAT and ACT preparation, evaluation of financial aid packages, assistance with securing gap funding and guidance during college year to ensure graduation. Service Categories Elementary & Secondary Schools Youth Development Programs Geographic Areas Served Students are responsible for commuting to Beacon, located at Temple Israel in Boston, from their respective neighborhoods which include, but are not limited to, Dorchester, Mattapan, East Boston, Taunton, Roxbury, Chelsea, and Cambridge. Please review online profile for full list of selected areas served. 3
Programs Empowering Year between 8th and 9th Grade Description Budget Category Population Served Beacon Academy is a one of a kind transformative experience offered to a select group of urban students who devote a year between 8th and 9th grades preparing for entrance to competitive independent and public exam high schools. Through rigorous academics and empowering experiences, Beacon Academy aims to change the trajectory of students lives. The fourteen month school year begins with an enriching summer program which includes core academic skills building and a cocurricular program (social and cultural). It continues in September with six-day school weeks of challenging academic work focused on honing expository writing skills, reading comprehension, and quantitative analysis. The experience culminates in a second summer of individually designed study and leadership development. The Beacon Academy curriculum strengthens core competencies and develops necessary new skills preparing our students for success in secondary school and beyond. Beacon Academy continues to be a source of encouragement and support to its alumni, too. tbd Education, General/Other Minorities, Other Economic Level, Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success Placed 15 graduates in competive high schools, leveraging more than $1.1million in scholarship funding. Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success 4
Management CEO/Executive Director Executive Director Ms. Cindy Laba Term Start July 24 Email claba@beaconacademy.org Experience For the past 25 years, Cindy Laba has devoted her professional life to the education and development of young people. She started by doing prevention work with middle and high school age students from the D Street Public Housing Development and the Boys & Girls Club in South Boston. Upon completing a Master s Degree in Social Work, she worked with emotionally disturbed adolescents who lived at Harbor Schools in Newburyport. Cindy spent most of her career at City Year, one of America s leading national service programs, where she developed and implemented enterprise-wide recruitment, fundraising, and intranet systems. When she was named a Vice President, she turned her focus to development and producing major national events both in the US and South Africa. In 24 25 she served as Vice President of City on a Hill Charter School in Boston and is now Founder and General Manager of Beacon Academy, after ten years as its first Head of School. Co-CEO Co-CEO Term Start July 24 Email Ms. Marsha Feinberg marshafeinberg@gmail.com Experience Marsha Feinberg is a leading social entrepreneur and consultant with more than 35 years of experience. Marsha played major roles in launching many new non-profits by providing strategic planning, fundraising and community building expertise. Her first start-up was with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation where she founded and directed the JFK Library Corps, an after school service program for students from South Boston, Roxbury and Dorchester. For two years Marsha was the Director of Recruitment for Mayor Koch s City Volunteer Corps, one of the first service corps in the country. After receiving her MBA from Columbia Business School she returned to Boston and worked at City Year during its early years, and helped launch the Clinton Democracy Fellows Program in South Africa. Marsha was the Founding Chair of the Board of Directors of Citizen Schools and served 1 years in that role, growing the organization from a Boston-based program to a national network of after-school programs. She also provides coaching and strategic advice as part of the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University. Marsha serves on a number of non-profit boards, including Temple Israel, the New England Advisory Board of Facing History and Ourselves, and the Corporation of Belmont Hill School Senior Staff Mr. Mervan Osborne Title Head of School 5
Experience/Biography Born and raised in London, England, Mervan Osborne moved to New York City with his family as a teen. After graduating from St. George s School, he studied Studio Arts at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, Secondary Education at the University of California and earned his MFA in Film Production at Boston University. Mervan spent two years working for Miramax Films in New York, and taught English in Los Angeles as a member of the Teach for America founding corps. After spending 12 years teaching English and Drama and working in the admissions office at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Mervan participated in the founding of Beacon Academy. He currently serves as Beacon Academy s Associate Head of School and focuses on both recruitment of future classes and placement of Beacon s graduates. Mervan teaches both the Facing History and Ourselves course and Visual Thinking Strategies at the MFA. He also serves as the Governor s appointee to the Mass Humanities Board and is an elected member of the Cambridge School Committee. Staff Information Full Time Staff Part Time Staff Volunteers Contractors 9 162 3 Staff Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 2 Asian American/Pacific Islander Caucasian 9 Hispanic/Latino 1 Native American/American Indian Other Staff Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified 3 9 Formal Evaluations CEO Formal Evaluation CEO/Executive Formal Evaluation Frequency Bi-Annually 6
Senior Management Formal Evaluation Senior Management Formal Evaluation Frequency nmanagement Formal Evaluation n Management Formal Evaluation Frequency N/A N/A Plans & Policies Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? Years Strategic Plan Considers Under Development Date Strategic Plan Adopted June 214 Does your organization have a Business Continuity of Operations Plan? Management Succession Plan? Organization Policy and Procedures ndiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy Document Destruction Policy Directors and Officers Insurance Policy Is your organization licensed by the Government? Permit? 5 Under Development Under Development Awards Awards Award/Recognition Organization Year Excellent Award: Innovation Massachusetts n Profit Network 214 Affiliations Affiliation Year Association of Independent Schools of New England 26 7
Board & Governance Board Chair Board Chair Ms. Pam Dickinson Company Affiliation Persephone Venture Partners Term July 214 to June 217 Email pdickinson@beaconacademy.org Board Members Name Affiliation Status Ms. Anna Afeyan Ms. Janet Berkeley Mr. John M. Borders Ms. Deedie Bouscaren Mr. David Chapin Ms. Lyndsay Charron Ms. Priscilla Cohen Mr. McLane Cover Boston Celtics "Community Volunteer" Citizen Schools Mistral Capital Ms. Lisa DiAdamo The Park School Voting Ms. Pam Dickinson Ms. Marsha Feinberg Ms. Ilene Greenberg Ms. Wendy Hill Ms. Cindy Laba Ms. Ellie Loughlin Beacon Academy Buckingham Browne and Nichols School Voting Ms. Jessica Lutzker Harvard Business School Voting Ms. Amy McCarthy Ms. Julie McKenna Persephone Venture Partners Voting Ms. Victoria Munroe Ms. Allyce Najimy Mr. Mervan F. Osborne Foundation To Be Named Later Beacon Academy Mr. Kevin Parke Concord Academy Voting Ms. Carolyn Peter, Chair Emerita nvoting Ms. Katherine Radtke, Clerk Ropes & Gray LLP nvoting Ms. Mary Rivet Ms. Mary Rivet Mr. Michael Rubenstein Ms. Ann Ryan Ms. Lorraine Smth Vanderweil Engineers Voting Ms. Beth Stonebraker Mr. Bob Thomas ACLU of Massachusetts Voting 8
Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 3 Asian American/Pacific Islander Caucasian 26 Hispanic/Latino Native American/American Indian Other Board Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified 7 22 Board Information Board Term Lengths Number of Full Board Meetings Annually Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? Percentage Making Monetary Contributions Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions Constituency Includes Client Representation 3 5 Under Development 1% 75% Standing Committees Development / Fund Development / Fund Raising / Grant Writing / Major Gifts Executive Finance Audit Alumni Affairs Governance and minating Investment Special Events (Golf Tournament, Walk / Run, Silent Auction, Dinner / Gala) 9
Financials Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Start July 1, 216 Fiscal Year End June 3, 217 Projected Revenue $1,734,. Projected Expenses $1,66,597. Endowment? Endowment Value $2. Spending Policy Income Only Credit Line? Reserve Fund? Months Reserve Fund Covers 6 Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Fiscal Year 215 214 213 Total Revenue $3,378,479 $1,439,957 $1,454,16 Total Expenses $1,388,73 $1,94,829 $986,527 Revenue Sources Fiscal Year 215 214 213 Foundation and Corporation -- -- -- Contributions Government Contributions $ $ $ Federal -- -- -- State -- -- -- Local -- -- -- Unspecified -- -- -- Individual Contributions $2,655,423 $925,469 $1,117,89 Indirect Public Support -- -- -- Earned Revenue $32,675 $11,77 $15,95 Investment Income, Net of Losses ($6,63) $93,166 ($13,884) Membership Dues -- -- -- Special Events $696,444 $49,552 $335,5 Revenue In-Kind -- -- -- Other -- -- -- 1
Expense Allocation Fiscal Year 215 214 213 Program Expense $1,6,237 $866,27 $751,58 Administration Expense $11,34 $87,28 $117,397 Fundraising Expense $272,459 $141,522 $117,622 Payments to Affiliates -- -- -- Total Revenue/Total Expenses 2.43 1.32 1.47 Program Expense/Total Expenses 72% 79% 76% Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 8% 11% 8% Assets and Liabilities Fiscal Year 215 214 213 Total Assets $4,399,495 $2,44,97 $2,57,786 Current Assets $3,495,413 $2,3,72 $1,837,441 Long-Term Liabilities -- -- -- Current Liabilities $45,88 $4,231 $39,48 Total Net Assets $4,353,615 $2,363,866 $2,18,738 Short Term Solvency Fiscal Year 215 214 213 Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities 76.19 57.19 47.6 Long Term Solvency Fiscal Year 215 214 213 Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets % % % Top Funding Sources Fiscal Year 215 214 213 Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- -- Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar -- -- -- Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- -- Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? Comments Foundation Staff Comments Financial summary data in charts and graphs are per the organization's audited financials. Contributions from foundations and corporations are listed under individuals as the breakout was not available. Created 12.2.217. Copyright 217 The Boston Foundation 11