PLATINUM2022

Saint Marys Academy

Deus Illuminatio Mea

aka St. Mary's Academy   |   INGLEWOOD, CA   |  www.smabelles.org

Mission

St. Mary’s Academy, a Catholic, private, college preparatory high school for young women, founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, shapes women of distinction who are committed to lifelong learning and service to the “dear neighbor.”

Ruling year info

1946

CO-Interim Principal

Sister Ann Patricia O'Connor, CSJ

Co-Interim Principal

Sister Ann Bernard O'Shea CSJ

Main address

701 GRACE AVE

INGLEWOOD, CA 90301 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

95-2097145

NTEE code info

Secondary/High School (B25)

Roman Catholic (X22)

Youth Development Programs (O50)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is not required to file an annual return with the IRS because it is a religious organization.

Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The families of students who attend St. Mary’s Academy make many sacrifices to pay even a portion of the tuition. While tuition at SMA remains among the lowest of LA area Catholic high schools, without financial aid, many of our students would be unable to attend. Currently, 55% of our families meet the eligibility requirements for free or reduced lunch, based on federal guidelines. This means these families are living at or below the federal poverty level. 96% of our families require financial aid or scholarship so their daughters may receive an excellent high school education. Our students have the academic ability and desire to attend a high school which challenges them with rigorous coursework and all efforts are made to accept the most qualified students, despite an inability to afford the cost of full tuition.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

All-girls, Private, Catholic College Preparatory High School

St. Mary’s Academy is the oldest Catholic high school dedicated to educating young women in Los Angeles County since 1889. St. Mary's Academy has been educating young women for more than 138 years, helping each individual girl to become all of which woman is capable.

Population(s) Served

St. Mary’s Academy is one of approximately 2,000 schools worldwide to implement the AP Capstone Diploma™ program―an innovative program that encourages students to develop skills for college and career success, including critical thinking, research, collaboration, and communication. The program consists of two yearlong courses taken in sequence: AP® Seminar and AP Research.

Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Adolescents
Women and girls
Adolescents

Where we work

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of new grants received

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Multiracial people, People of African descent, People of Latin American descent, Catholics, Evangelicals

Related Program

All-girls, Private, Catholic College Preparatory High School

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

St. Mary's Academy has received generous awards of foundation support for tuition assistance. There are approximately 98% of students attending SMA depend on financial assistance to remain enrolled.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The SMA Advancement Department and Administration, with input from those who participated in our strategic planning process, have approved the following course of action for servicing the community:
• Maintain and grow the current levels of SMA’s enrollment, and continue to raise funding to support the growing need for Tuition Assistance, annually approximately $1.6 million
• Increase leadership responsibilities of alumnae by engaging 3-5 alums to assist with event planning and alum engagement annually
• Increase alumnae engagement in annual fundraising gala by 10-15%. This includes alumnae attendance at the gala as well as donations made by alumnae (cash, and in-kind giving included.) annually
• Complete capital projects for following new and/or upgraded facilities: an innovation lab, a new library, research and learning center, a new track support athletics, a new gym floor, remodel/upgrade of the front of the School and lobby.

The St. Mary's Academy Advancement Department in conjunction with the Administration have created a fund development plan which outlines the ways in which it plans to engage, cultivate, and steward current and potential donors. These strategies include further engagement of alumnae with the creation of an Alumnae Online Network, a comprehensive development program that includes annual, leadership giving, major gifts, corporate and foundation support, and planned giving.

The St. Mary's Academy Advancement Department, Administration, and Board of Directors will work together to ensure the goals and strategies of the fund development plan are met.

St. Mary's Academy celebrates more than 138 years of educating young women in Los Angeles this year. Over the past 24 months, donors have generously supported the School's needs for capital improvements in the following areas: remodeling of the front of the School and Lobby, a new Library & Research Center, Innovation Lab, Track, Gym Floor, and classroom upgrades with new furniture. SMA believes these facility upgrades will play a significant role in recruiting new families, increasing enrollment, and retaining current students.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Saint Marys Academy
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Saint Marys Academy

Board of directors
as of 12/19/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Michael McNaught

Loyola Marymount University

Term: 2024 - 2022

Shelby Boagni

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Sarah H. Gacina

Loyola High School

Rick W. Lopez

Sr. Mary Ann Martin

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

Michael McNaught

Loyola Marymount University

Sr. Maureen O'Connor

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

Matt Vigil

Payden & Rygel

Gwendolyn Wood

Susan Miller

Edgemount Investments

Maggie Smet

Catholic Community Foundation

Sr. Mary Agnes Nance

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

Sr. Marie Francis Schroepfer

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelot

Victoria Adams, Esq.

LA District Attorney's Office

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 12/19/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person with a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person with a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 12/16/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.