Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in May 2010.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
86 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
10 people listed on the 990; $675K paid to officers and key staff.
Lashaun Jackson’s $303K as Chief Executive Officer is at the 95th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3394 $1–10M 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 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lashaun Jackson | $302,655 | $242,834 | $228,632 | $217,088 | $217,088 | $224,603 |
| Omar Moore | $272,707 | $236,532 | $222,051 | $205,183 | $205,183 | $200,465 |
| Oscar Argueta | $187,558 | $158,689 | $143,610 | $137,911 | $137,911 | $130,980 |
| Alicia Arnold | $156,250 | $136,824 | — | — | — | — |
| Heidi Valdez | $127,141 | $114,840 | — | — | — | — |
| Alicia Boughton | — | — | $117,606 | — | — | — |
| Melissa Cotirla | — | — | — | $114,622 | $114,622 | $110,813 |
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.
See Circle Foundation executive salaries →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
Inspires, motivates, and empowers people to develop and realize their highest aspirations.
Questions for Circle Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Circle Foundation answers here, for everyone.
Innovations high school is a campus of the youth connection charter school, focused on arts integrated project-based learning, which provides high school study in a small school setting, for students age 16-21.
YS3 (DCFS) mentoring program provides educational, social and work related services, in order to provide the necessary social and educational skills that at-risk youth need to earn a high school diploma and transition to employment, college or vocational training programs.
Re-enrolled student project (RSP) is a partnership between alternative schools network and its member schools with the illinois state board of education (isbe) to expand services for re-enrolled students.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
Federal money
Plus 2 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $26K | $49K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $8K | $11K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $118K | $104K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $733K | $754K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $981K | $302K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | −$249K | $451K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $477K | $477K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $1.9M | $1.4M | $505K | |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $162K | $151K | $10K | |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $186K | $172K | $15K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $122K | $87K | $35K | |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $68K | $68K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $19K | $19K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $244K | $232K | $12K | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $77K | $77K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $255K | $251K | $4K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $911K | $911K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $17K | $17K | $49 | |
| InterestLn 20 | $5K | $5K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $46K | $46K | $737 | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $33K | $28K | $4K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $245K | $233K | $12K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $4.8M | $4.1M | $691K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS May 15, 2026 | $7.8M | $7.2M | $616K | $2.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Apr 29, 2025 | $7.3M | $7.1M | $188K | $1.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS May 10, 2024 | $6.0M | $6.4M | −$375K | $1.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Apr 24, 2023 | $7.5M | $6.3M | $1.2M | $1.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS May 16, 2022 | $5.5M | $4.8M | $697K | $451K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Apr 5, 2021 | $4.6M | $4.6M | $4K | −$249K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $5,499,132 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 6 of 8 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $5,499,132 across 7 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $4,802,078 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $753,922 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $451,480 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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