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Passes our checks

Madison Automotive Apprentices Inc

EIN 81-5439763 · Harrisonburg, VA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood89 out of 100GovernanceWeak47 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

CREATE A NON-PROFIT AFFILIATE OF JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY FEATURING SPACE FOR AN AUTOMOTIVE WORKSHOP, TO PREPARE AND EDUCATE STUDENTS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC ASSISTED BY JMU FACULTY, TO FACILITATE LEARNING RELATED TO THE EDUCATION, HISTORY AND SOCIAL VALUE OF THE AUTOMOBILE.

Income
$174,610
Spending
$200,488
Spent on programs
86%
Reserves
25.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 65%
Employees
1
Volunteers
3
Highest pay
$56,883, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 67% of charities in its peer group (education, under $250k).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 25.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 15% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 12% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    86% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Weak: 47 out of 100. Higher than 23% of charities in its peer group (education, under $250k).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    6 of 7 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (4)
  1. $31,618 spent. MADISON AUTOMOTIVE APPRENTICES OFFERED A RECORD 8 INTERNSHIPS IN 2024, TO STUDENTS SEEKING ENGINEERING (X2), INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, HISTORY, INTEGRATED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS AND MARKETING AND MEDIA ART AND DESIGN DEGREES AT JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY. THESE INTERNSHIPS CONTINUE TO BE OUR PRIMARY CONNECTION WITH CERTAIN STUDENTS WHO HAVE A FOCUSED INTEREST AND APTITUDE TO GET A MUCH DEEPER LOOK AT THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD. MAAP HAS BEEN INTEGRATING PROJECT BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNS INTERESTED IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING BOTH ON THE BUSINESS SUPPLY CHAIN AND ENGINEERING AREAS OF ACADEMIC FOCUS. MAAP ALSO ACTS AS A WORKING LABORATORY FOR STUDENTS TO APPLY HANDS ON KNOWLEDGE IN THEIR CHOSEN FIELD OF STUDY AND PROVIDE TANGIBLE RESUME EXPERIENCE TO EMPLOYERS UPON GRADUATION.
  2. $40,896 spent. FEE FOR SERVICE AUTOMOTIVE RESTORATION ACTIVITY CONTINUES TO BRING IN REVENUE FOR MAAP, AS WE PROVIDE RESTORATION SERVICES FOR BOTH THE SUBSYSTEM OF DRIVETRAIN AND OVERALL VEHICLE RESTORATIONS. THIS YEAR MAAP CONTINUED A MULTI-YEAR PROJECT ON A 1968 PORSCHE 911S TARGA ADVISING EXTERNAL WORK DONE ON PAINT AND BODYWORK. OUR RESTORATION FEE FOR SERVICE INCOME GENERATED 19% OF OUR TOTAL WORKSHOP REVENUE OF $42,866 FOR 2024. SERVICES ARE BILLED TO CLIENTS WILLING TO LET STUDENTS PERFORM THESE SERVICES WHILE SUPERVISED BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN THE MAAP WORKSHOP, WHICH IS ALSO USED AS TRAINING FOR STUDENT EMPLOYEES, INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS. THESE STUDENT-LED SERVICES INCLUDE DISASSEMBLY AND PREPARATION OF VINTAGE VEHICLES USING PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES, RESTORATION OF COMPONENT PARTS, OVERSIGHT OF OUTSIDE VENDORS (FOR EXAMPLE THE RE-CHROMING AND PLATING OF COMPONENT PARTS) AND FINAL ASSEMBLY OF THE AUTOMOBILE.
  3. $19,776 spent. FEE FOR SERVICE MOTORSPORT ACTIVITY INCLUDES SUPPORT ACTIVITIES FOR MOTORSPORT VEHICLES AND GENERAL ENGINEERING ASSESSMENTS FOR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE. THESE ACTIVITIES PROVIDED 81% OF WORKSHOP REVENUE FOR MAAP, MOSTLY THROUGH A CONTRACT WITH INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORT ASSOCIATION (IMSA) TEAM JDC-MILLER MOTORSPORTS. THESE MOTORSPORT EFFORTS LED TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE 2024 TCR CHAMPION TITLE. THESE ACTIVITIES ARE SUPERVISED BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COLE SCROGHAM WHO IS ALSO AN ACCOMPLISHED MOTORSPORT ENGINEER. STUDENTS WITH MOTORSPORT APTITUDE LEARN THE ENGINEERING PROCESS, DATA ACQUISITION TECHNIQUES AND OVERALL WORKFLOWS FOR A MOTORSPORT EVENT WHICH PROVIDES THEM WITH A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THEIR FUTURE INVOLVEMENT IN THE SPORT.
  4. $80,102 spent. SPECIAL EVENTS RELATED TO AUTOMOTIVE RESTORATION AND MOTORSPORT HAVE ALSO BEEN IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS INVOLVED AT MAAP, PARTICULARLY AT CARS AND COFFEE, MOTORSPORT EVENTS AND THE BIG ANNUAL TRIP TO THE AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS. THESE EVENTS INVOLVE COMPETITION IN REAL WORLD ENVIRONMENTS, BUT ALSO GIVE A SENSE OF THE OVERALL INDUSTRY BY VISITING LARGE SCALE CAR SHOWS AND OTHER VENUES. THIS YEAR, MAAP SPONSORED FOUR STUDENTS TO ATTEND THE AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS EVENT AS WELL AS SELECTED MOTORSPORT EVENTS ON THE IMSA SCHEDULE. OUR EVENT SCHEDULE MAKES SURE THAT STUDENTS GET INTRODUCED TO DECISION MAKERS FOR FUTURE JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT THESE EVENTS. WE HAVE DEVOTED A BULK OF WORKSHOP TIME THIS YEAR TO PREPARING TWO VEHICLES FOR THE UPCOMING 2024 AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since July 2017.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.