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EMBER CHARTER SCHOOL FOR MINDFUL EDUCATIONINNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 272882334 · Form 990 · FY2024 · Large ($10M-$50M) · embercs.org
revenue
$10.4M
expenses
$12.6M
net assets
$-1.9M
employees
175
volunteers
5
program ratio
83%
mission · from form 990

We endeavor to ignite, empower and transform young people of great promise into social entrepreneurs, engineers, and global leaders through our innovative, holistic and progressive human development school model. At Ember we teach and employ mindfulness as our primary metacognitive tool to facilitate healing and develop self-efficacy. We combine this practice with an equal commitment to nurturing self-love and -esteem using culturally responsive and affirming techniques rooted in empowerment and agency to support the development of a holistic growth mindset.

profile · synthesized from sources

Public charter school in Brooklyn, NY serving K-12 students from low-income, predominantly Black and Latinx communities. Focuses on holistic human development through mindfulness, culturally responsive pedagogy, and innovative teaching methods. Offers unique programming including single-sex cohorts, co-teaching, study abroad, and a boarding-like experience to transform students into social entrepreneurs and global leaders.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Co-Teaching Model
Instructional model with lead teacher and co-teacher in every classroom to enable small-group instruction and differentiation
Residential Boarding Opportunity
Community-based boarding program in high school providing intensive academic and personal development support
Single-Sex Cohorts
Single-sex instructional groups for upper middle school (grades 7-8) and high school (grades 9-12) to support holistic development
Study Abroad
Bi-annual guided international learning experiences for 7th and 8th graders, integrated with core academics and mindfulness, led by full-time staff
Uhuru Ashe
Student group co-facilitated by teachers and social workers starting in 5th grade, focused on social-emotional learning and self-perception
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Structured Critical Thinking Curriculum 1 activity
    • Deliver integrated academic curriculum emphasizing critical thinking and systems literacy
      Provides Common Core-aligned academic instruction interwoven with Ecosystems, Cultural Anthropology, Engineering & Design, Systems Thinking, and Advocacy & Communication to cultivate student agency, critical thinking, cultural fluency, executive functioning, and social-emotional skills. Academic growth is demonstrated through more than 55% growth in ELA and over 74% growth in Math, outperforming state averages despite high trauma prevalence among students.
  • Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs 1 activity
    • Implement mindfulness and social-emotional learning as core educational tools
      Teaches and employs daily mindfulness practices as a primary tool for student healing, self-efficacy, and emotional regulation, centering love and kindness to develop students committed to equity and community change. Uses culturally responsive techniques to nurture self-love, self-esteem, and a holistic growth mindset, including the “Uhuru Ashe” social-emotional learning group for 5th graders co-facilitated by teachers and social workers.
  • Charter School Operations 1 activity
    • Operate K-12 charter school with holistic, mindfulness-based education model
      Operates a K-12 public charter school across three campuses in Brooklyn, NY—elementary and middle schools in Bedford-Stuyvesant and a high school in DUMBO—serving primarily Black and Latinx students from low-income families, nearly 90% of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school serves over a decade since 2011 and uses a co-teaching model with at least one teacher per classroom to enable small group instruction and academic differentiation.
  • Comprehensive Student Enrichment Programs 1 activity
    • Provide expanded and experiential learning opportunities
      Offers multi-year teacher-student relationships (looping), single-sex cohorts in upper grades, student clubs in photography, graphic design, podcasting, dance, step, and gaming, and guided international study abroad experiences for 7th and 8th graders on a bi-annual basis. During international travel, students receive Common Core-aligned instruction plus an additional 45% of holistic instructional time per week. Also includes HBCU college tours and a residential community-based boarding program in high school.
  • School-Based Mental Health and Family Support 1 activity
    • Support student and family well-being through wraparound services
      Provides family social work services and culturally affirming supports to serve a student population where over 55% have experienced ongoing trauma. Directs 100% of contributions to student support programs that enhance whole human development and academic resilience.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$10.35M
Contributions & grants$1.08M10%
Program service revenue$9.17M89%
Investment income$3K0%
Other revenue$99K
expenses
Total expenses$12.65M
Program expenses83%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$6.87M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$14.68M
Cash$42K
Investments$0
Liabilities$16.59M
Net assets$-1.90M
Liquid reserves0.0 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -20.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 8
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
RAFIQ KALAM ID-DIN PARTNER 40 $308K
DAMIEN DUNKLEY PARTNER 40 $292K
ARDNAS RASHID PARTNER 40 $249K
NKENGE CARTER Partner 40 $213K
DORON TOWNSELL PARTNER 40 $212K
KWADWO GYASE Partner 40 $203K
Mouhamadou Diaman PARTNER 40 $162K
Nilda Arias Exec. Officer 40 $126K
board members · 5
  • Aundre Oldacre — Member
  • Chrystal LaRoche — Member
  • Hank Simmons — Member
  • Lovell Harmon — Chair
  • Wes Jackson — Member
relationships · 5

Who they work with

  • Hank Simmons III Government — Member of the Board of Trustees advising the Partnership on objectives and results.
  • Shahidah Kalam Id Din Government — Member of the Board of Trustees advising the Partnership on objectives and results.
  • TFOA Partner — Predecessor organization that transitioned into Ember Charter School in 2011
  • Todd Dumas Government — Member of the Board of Trustees advising the Partnership on objectives and results.
  • particular schoolhouse teachers Partner — Collaborates with teachers to coordinate volunteer support.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Culturally Responsive and Affirming Education
    methodology: culturally_responsive_and_affirming_education
    By combining mindfulness with culturally responsive practices, the school fosters self-love, cultural fluency, and agency, because affirming students’ identities and lived experiences is foundational to holistic development and academic engagement.
  • Empowerment-Based Learning Model
    methodology: empowerment_based_education
    By positioning students as entrepreneurs and teachers as consultants, and using empowerment rather than fear as the core driver, the school increases engagement and transformation, because students develop greater ownership over their learning and life goals when treated as agents of their own development.
  • Holistic Human Development Framework
    methodology: holistic_human_development
    By integrating social, emotional, cultural, and executive functioning development with academics, the school advances both personal and academic growth, because student success is driven by the interplay of multiple dimensions of self, not academic performance alone.
  • Mindfulness-Based Metacognitive Development
    methodology: mindfulness_based_metacognitive_development
    By integrating mindfulness as a metacognitive tool, the school supports healing, emotional regulation, and self-efficacy, because heightened awareness of one's thoughts and emotions enables greater personal agency and resilience, particularly for students from high-poverty backgrounds.
  • Socratic and Design Thinking Integration
    methodology: socratic_inquiry_and_design_thinking
    By embedding Socratic Inquiry, interdisciplinary learning, and design thinking into instruction, the school builds critical and executive functioning skills, because structured dialogue and problem-solving foster deeper cognitive engagement and real-world readiness.