Helios Education Foundation

“The foundation's senior staff and board of directors (all voting members of the governing body) review and approve the form 990 prior to its filing with the internal revenue service. There are several review and due diligence steps that occur prior to the board receiving the completed form 990 for its consideration. The foundation's form 990 is prepared, reviewed and approved in the following manner: 1) the foundation's form 990 is prepared by a certified public accounting firm in conjunction with the foundation's chief financial officer after completion of the annual audited financial statements. The form 990 is then shared with independent tax counsel for review and comment. 2) upon completion of the review by independent tax counsel, the chief financial officer reviews the form 990 and related schedules with senior staff which includes the president and chief executive officer, the chief operating officer, the chief impact officer, the chief policy officer, and the chief communications officer. 3) following the review and concurrence by senior staff, the form 990 is reviewed with the foundation's audit committee. The audit committee is a regular standing committee of the board of directors, and it is charged with reviewing the form 990. A full copy of the form 990 and related schedules is provided to all members of the audit committee as well as all members of the board of directors (all voting members of the governing body) in advance of the review meeting in order to give the audit committee members and board members ample time for review. Once the audit committee is satisfied with the form 990, it approves the form 990 and recommends it to the full board of directors for approval and filing. 4) following approval and recommendation by the audit committee, the board of directors takes action on the form 990. The chair of the audit committee provides the board of directors with an overview of the form 990 review conducted by the audit committee and recommends approval by the board of directors. If required, the board of directors may further review the form 990 and engage in additional discussions. Once the board of directors is satisfied with the form 990, it votes on approval and acceptance. Once approved, senior staff is directed to file the form 990 with the internal revenue service.”

“The foundation has created a comprehensive conflict of interest policy for the entire organization. The conflict of interest policy is monitored and enforced at two distinct levels or tiers within the foundation. These tiers are: - board members and officers - interested persons - foundation staff - non-interested persons the primary distinguishing factor between the tiers is whether the person is considered an "interested person." an interested person is defined as any individual, related party, or entity in a position to exercise control or influence over the foundation, including, without limitation, directors, officers and members of a committee with board delegated powers, who have a direct or indirect financial or beneficial interest in a transaction with the foundation. Board members and officers - interested person: every employee, officer and board member receives a copy of the foundation's conflict of interest policy. The policy is available and incorporated into the foundation's employee handbook. The policy is reviewed and shared with all employees (including officers) every january. Additionally, the board of directors discuss and review the policy annually. - monitoring. The foundation, in conjunction with its tax advisor, has developed and customized a comprehensive conflict of interest and related party transaction questionnaire. This questionnaire addresses and aligns with the key governance and policy questions asked in the form 990. The questionnaire is reviewed and updated annually. All foundation officers and board members are required to answer the questionnaire on an annual cycle commencing in january. Additionally, each officer and board member upon completion signs an acknowledgement of duties, conflicts of interest policy and confidentiality statement. Key elements of our conflict of interest policy and best practices of the foundation include the following protocols: - duty to disclose. An interested person must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest to the board and/or member of pertinent committees of the board that are considering the proposed transaction or arrangement. - determining whether a conflict of interest exists. A determination of whether the conflict exists is made by the board or relevant committee of the board. - procedures for addressing the conflict of interest: * in the case of an actual conflict of interest, an interested person may make a presentation at the board or committee of the board concerning the transaction, but may not participate in any deliberation or vote or future meetings during the discussion of, deliberations about, and the vote on, the transaction or arrangement that results in the conflict of interest. * if appropriate, a disinterested person or committee may be appointed to investigate alternatives to the proposed transaction. If a more advantageous transaction is not necessarily attainable under circumstances that would not give rise to a conflict of interest, the board or committee may determine whether the transaction or arrangement is in the foundation's best interest. * the interested person shall not influence or attempt to influence the decisions of the board or committee considering the transaction. - violations of the conflicts of interest policy. If the board or committee has reasonable cause to believe that an interested person has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, it shall inform the interested person of the basis for such belief and afford the interested person an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. If the board or committee determines that the interested person has in fact failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action. Foundation staff - non-interested person: on an annual basis and as part of new hire orientation all foundation staff (including officers) are made aware of and briefed on the foundation's con”

“Compensation for the following positions is reviewed and approved by the board of directors annually. Chairman of the board treasurer secretary president and chief executive officer executive vice president and chief operating officer senior vice president and chief financial officer there is no additional compensation paid to board members who also serve as corporate officers. The most recent formal compensation study was conducted by an independent outside consulting firm in 2013. - the process for determining senior staff compensation commences with an annual performance review for each position. - salary ranges for each position are determined by the foundation's participation and review of multiple salary surveys for comparable compensation for similarly qualified individuals in functionally comparable positions at similarly situated like-kind organizations. The foundation has also engaged an independent compensation consultant to study and assist in determining appropriate compensation ranges for all staff positions. - the board reviews performance, the salary surveys, and any other comparability data. Any recommended adjustment is discussed and approved by the board of directors. - contemporaneous documentation and recordkeeping with respect to the discussion and decisions regarding the compensation arrangement are reflected in the board minutes.”

“The following foundation documents are not required to be made available to the general public. - governing documents - financial statements - conflict of interest policy certain documents and financial information may be found through other sources such as the arizona corporation commission or guidestar.”

“Helios education foundation's purpose is to create opportunities for individuals in arizona and florida to succeed in postsecondary education by supporting educational organizations located in arizona and florida. The foundation invests its knowledge, expertise and resources across the educational continuum to advance student academic preparedness and to foster college-going cultures. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that every student graduates from high school ready for college and career and goes on to complete a high-quality postsecondary certificate or degree. The foundation's commitment to education is long-term and its financial support is focused on building sustainable programs at educational organizations, while impacting the educational success of students. During fy15, helios education foundation provided $13.2 million in grants to educational organizations located in arizona and florida; provided funding to support schools and universities; and provided funding to a variety of other educational organizations for the purpose of improving the conditions of and access to education. Helios views collaboration and partnership as critical to cultivating innovative ideas and developing solutions to the complex challenges facing education. Through a decade of strategic partnership and investment, helios has identified early grade success, college and career readiness and postsecondary completion as the three most critical reform priorities in achieving our long-term goal. 1) early grade success - helios is partnering to ensure children in arizona and florida, ages birth to eight, enter kindergarten prepared to succeed and are reading at grade level by the end of third grade. 2) college and career readiness - we strive for all arizona and florida high school graduates to be prepared to enter the workforce or credit-bearing college courses. 3) postsecondary completion - helios is focused on helping more traditionally underserved students in arizona and florida access, persist and attain a high-quality postsecondary certificate or degree. Form 990, part vi, line 2 jane roig and vincent roig have a family relationship.”

“Cancelled and terminated grants from prior years $276,345”

“Prior to awarding and paying a grant, the following documents are collected as part of the due diligence and oversight procedures: - most recent audited financial statements, if applicable - most recent management letter (or a statement from the auditor attesting that no management letter was issued) - most recent irs form 990, matching audited financial statements - current board of directors roster including names, affiliations, lengths of service and positions held - staff profiles and/or resumes of those who will be directly involved in the implementation of the project - a brief description of any pending legal action to which the organization is a party or a letter validating that there is no current litigation in which the organization is involved. - statement verifying that the organization has a current office of foreign assets control (ofac) compliance policy, an equal employment opportunity policy, and an anti-discrimination policy that meet local, state and federal requirements and with which the organization is in full compliance. - 501(c)(3) determination letter - articles of incorporation - organizational by-laws in addition, applicants may submit the following attachments if they feel it strengthens the proposal and/or clarifies the information: - logic model - strategic plan - business plan - memorandums of understanding (mous) - intergovernmental agreements (igas) - letters of support - annual report - recent, relevant publications - proposal budget worksheet (provided to helios education foundation for multi-year grants) financial documents are analyzed for risk and appropriateness by the sr vice president and chief impact officer. Data outside of the norm is referred to the foundation's chief financial officer; likewise, legal documents are reviewed by the sr vice president and chief impact officer and referred to the chief operating officer for review and final disposition. Once a grant has been awarded, a customized contract is developed and executed. Contracts generally contain customized deliverables including interim reporting, site visits, and final report. Deliverables are entered into a tracking database and monitored for compliance. The program specialist, the program director and/or the sr vice president and chief impact officer monitors grant compliance and proactively addresses any grant exceptions.”

“As described in part iii of the form 990, helios education foundation focuses its community investments across three priority areas: 1) early grade success; 2) college and career readiness; and 3) postsecondary completion. Early grade success - preparing children ages 0-8 to enter kindergarten ready to succeed and read at grade level by the end of third grade through: - fostering collaborative and sustainable early childhood education systems - improving access and quality of early childhood professional development - bridging early childhood and k-3 education college and career readiness - ensuring arizona and florida high school graduates are prepared to enter the workforce or credit-bearing college courses without remediation. - improving academic rigor and relevance with an emphasis on science technology engineering and math (stem), - creating and sustaining highly skilled teachers and effective education leaders - embedding a college-going culture supported by actively engaged families and communities postsecondary completion - helping traditionally underserved students in arizona and florida access, persist and attain a high-quality postsecondary certificate or degree. - structuring supports to facilitate successful transition to credit bearing courses - constructing scholarships to support persistence and completion - focusing supports and guidance on certificate and degree pathways innovative - programs aligned to the values, vision and mission of the foundation that fall outside of our other priority areas.”