Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Aug 1960.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
72 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
15 people listed on the 990; $346K paid to officers and key staff.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael J Petrilli | $380,707 | — | — | — | — |
| Michael Petrilli | — | $367,843 | $343,200 | $63,782 | $61,429 |
| Amber M Northern | $283,785 | — | — | — | — |
| Amber Northern | — | $273,000 | $256,000 | $9,560 | $9,040 |
| Chad L Aldis | $257,946 | — | — | — | — |
| Chester E Finn JR | $235,708 | $250,000 | $235,500 | $15,400 | $15,050 |
| Chad Aldis | — | $169,072 | $221,500 | $2,100 | $2,020 |
| Gary Labelle | — | $213,500 | $200,000 | $93,000 | $89,000 |
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
Advances educational excellence through research, analysis, commentary, and advocacy in Ohio.
Questions for The Thomas B Fordham Foundation
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Charter School Authorizing
The thomas b. Fordham foundation serves as the authorizer for eleven ohio-based charter schools serving nearly 5,500 students. Our nationally recognized charter-authorization staff evaluates proposals for new charter schools, monitors the compliance and performance of our portfolio of schools, and lends them fiscal and technical…
Supporting National Education Policy Reform
Supports the thomas b. Fordham institute's efforts to produce research studies and commentary on national education policy issues. Our national policy work in 2020 focused on promoting high quality schools of choice, implementing standards-based reform. And using our schools as engines of upward mobility.
Supporting Education Policy Reform in Ohio
Supports the thomas b. Fordham institute's efforts to produce and disseminate reports and policy briefs identifying evidence-based solutions and best-practice recommendations for the current challenges faced by the leaders of ohio's school systems.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $450K | $313K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $54.5M | $64.5M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $2.4M | $2.3M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $58.6M | $69.5M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $6.0M | $6.3M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $52.6M | $63.3M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $190K | $190K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $213K | $142K | $71K | $0 |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $652K | $438K | $214K | $0 |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $75K | $47K | $28K | $0 |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $77K | $52K | $25K | $0 |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $56K | $38K | $19K | $0 |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $34K | $28K | $6K | $0 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $38K | $0 | $38K | $0 |
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $761K | $545K | $217K | $0 |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $61K | $58K | $3K | $0 |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $16K | $15K | $2K | $0 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $28K | $28K | $0 | $0 |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $170K | $120K | $50K | $0 |
| TravelLn 17 | $4K | $3K | $873 | $0 |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $4K | $4K | $0 | $0 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $96K | $68K | $28K | $0 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $33K | $23K | $10K | $0 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $18K | $10K | $7K | $0 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $2.5M | $1.8M | $720K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest | $2.9M | $2.6M | $298K | $81.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $2.5M | $2.6M | −$169K | $75.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $2.5M | $3.2M | −$743K | $67.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $2.6M | $2.7M | −$73K | $73.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 Viewing | $1.7M | $2.5M | −$812K | $63.3M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,715,313 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 7 of 9 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,715,313 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $2,527,016 across 18 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $69,510,863 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $63,251,523 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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