Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jul 2002.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
92 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
16 people listed on the 990; $775K paid to officers and key staff.
Susanna Vaulx Russell’s $268K as CEO is at the 58th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3683 $10–100M education nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 7 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susanna Vaulx Russell | $268,243 | — | — | — | — |
| Marcia Page | — | $195,000 | $244,271 | $190,078 | $195,000 |
| Walter C Smith | $167,814 | — | — | — | — |
| Shannon Page | $158,045 | $121,000 | — | — | — |
| Ronald Ray Merrill | $127,161 | — | — | — | — |
| Walter Smith | — | $121,000 | $115,058 | $115,020 | — |
| Corinne Fiagome | $53,665 | — | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Helps students and families plan for college, aiming for life-changing results.
Questions for Education Is Freedom Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Education Is Freedom Foundation answers here, for everyone.
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Education is Freedom (EIF) places Higher Education Advisors in public high schools, where they serve as on-campus experts in postsecondary pathways. These advisors provide individualized support and workshops to help students navigate college admissions, financial aid, military pathways, and workforce preparation, ensuring they are…
In FY2025, EIF awarded over $129,000 in scholarships to 165 seniors from 38 high schools. With EIFs support, over 6,500 seniors enrolled in colleges and universities, providing an opportunity upon graduation for employment at a living wage.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $2.8M | $2.9M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $38K | $41K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $128K | $150K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $3.4M | $4.1M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.5M | $744K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $2.0M | $3.3M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $129K | $129K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $6.2M | $5.7M | $186K | $309K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $56K | $52K | $2K | $3K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $539K | $496K | $16K | $27K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $495K | $455K | $15K | $25K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $89K | $81K | $3K | $4K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $88K | $81K | $3K | $4K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $387K | $356K | $12K | $19K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $87K | $80K | $3K | $4K |
| TravelLn 17 | $144K | $133K | $4K | $7K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $31K | $28K | $917 | $2K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $42K | $39K | $1K | $2K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $1.0M | $941K | $31K | $51K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $106K | $88K | $7K | $12K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $9.4M | $8.6M | $282K | $470K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $10.8M | $9.4M | $1.4M | $3.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | Not on file | ||||
| FY2023 | $5.0M | $4.4M | $670K | $2.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $3.5M | $3.3M | $182K | $1.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $3.6M | $3.0M | $543K | $1.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $3.1M | $3.0M | $94K | $952K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $10,764,392 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 11 of 11 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $10,764,392 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $9,401,669 across 14 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $4,079,950 assets, 16 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $3,336,042 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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