Lake Geauga Educational Assistance Foundation

“Prior to filing, the form 990 is presented to the executive director and finance staff for review and approval. The form 990 is then electronically distributed to the board of directors in advance of filing. A board officer signs the 990 (8879-eo) and the 990 is electronically filed.”

“Each year, the board members are asked to review the organization's conflict of interest policy. Among other things, the policy makes clear that all decisions of the board, officers and employees of the organization are made solely on the basis of desire to promote the best interest of the organization and the public good. The conflict of interest requests board members to identify, to the best of their knowledge, affiliations and organizations that may be potentially related to the financials, or substantive operations of the organization. They are also asked to identify circumstances involving themsleves, or a member of their extended family, that may be considered as a conflict of interest. At the staff level, the organization's personnel also ensure that there are no conflicts of interest when considering the engagemnet of a new vendor. If a potential conflict is identified, appropriate steps are taken to both assess the nature of the potential conflict of interest and subsequently, to ensure that the possibility of an actual conflict is mitigated. Such mitigation is managed and the letter and spirit of the conflicts policy are upheld.”

“The compensation of the executive director is reviewed and approved by the president of the board of directors after consideration of comparable data from outside sources. Salary and benefits are documented.”

“The organization's form 1023 and form 990 are made available to the public upon request. The form 990, without schedule b) can also be found on several publicly-accessible websites.”

“College access and financial aid advisory services: leaf contracts directly with school districts to supply experienced career and financial aid advisors to the high school, where our advisors work with students and their families. The advisors provide objective information on the post-secondary education process whether for a two-year, four-year or technical trade school, including applications, fafsa filings, act/sat waivers, financial aid literacy, interpretation of award letters and scholarship/grant search opportunities. Leaf's goal is to assist students in choosing wisely, transitioning successfully and completing their education with a minimized debt load. In-school services include one-on- one appointments, in-class group sessions, and parent/student financial aid nights. This service also includes information pamphlets and newsletters sent directly to the parent/guardian for freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors. In all, leaf impacts more than 16,000 students in lake, geauga, portage and eastern cuyahoga counties, ohio.”