Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Mar 1999.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
81 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
24 people listed on the 990; $2.1M paid to officers and key staff.
Pelin Deniz’s $180K as Chief Operations Officer is at the 3rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 674 $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 · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Cheung | $152,909 | $318,786 | $318,795 | $53,233 | — | — |
| Elizabeth Shaw | — | — | — | — | $244,206 | $219,152 |
| Lahari Goud | — | $207,020 | $182,738 | $169,631 | $160,128 | $141,889 |
| Christine Leung | — | $196,364 | $201,753 | $198,905 | $163,052 | $133,603 |
| Leeandra Khan | — | — | — | — | — | $183,390 |
| Pelin Deniz | $180,216 | $179,904 | $180,567 | $166,948 | $132,433 | — |
| Torry Bennett-Davis | — | $146,197 | $177,990 | $151,126 | $128,679 | $122,020 |
| Stephen McClain | — | — | — | — | — | $172,232 |
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 Chicago Charter School 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
Empowering Chicago students and educators through innovative charter schools for college and life success.
Questions for Chicago Charter School Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Chicago Charter School Foundation answers here, for everyone.
Provide educational opportunities for youth through the operation of 14 campus locations serving 7,831 students in grades kindergarten through twelve during fy june 30, 2020. Cics' vibrant hub of diverse chicago charter schools enables students to thrive every day, puts them on a path to success in college and life, and empowers…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
Federal money
Plus 3 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 4 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 4 smaller programs.
The auditor reported: a material weakness in money controls.
Plus 7 smaller programs.
The auditor reported 1 finding: a weakness in money controls, questioned costs.
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $12.0M | $17.6M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $18.9M | $22.0M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $47.8M | $50.8M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $102.5M | $103.6M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $60.6M | $62.7M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $41.9M | $40.9M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $1.5M | $395K | $1.1M | $50K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $58.9M | $52.6M | $6.2M | $79K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $6.3M | $5.8M | $479K | $3K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $5.3M | $4.7M | $583K | $5K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $2.4M | $2.0M | $376K | $8K |
| Management feesLn 11a | $3.6M | $3.6M | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $6.0M | $2.5M | $3.4M | $39K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $6.2M | $3.5M | $2.7M | $8K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $5.4M | $5.0M | $325K | $7K |
| InterestLn 20 | $2.6M | $2.5M | $37K | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $5.2M | $5.1M | $126K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $8.3M | $5.9M | $2.4M | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $111.5M | $90.0M | $21.3M | $200K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS May 12, 2026 | $134.0M | $135.0M | −$958K | $52.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS May 9, 2025 | $129.6M | $130.0M | −$429K | $52.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Apr 25, 2024 | $123.1M | $121.6M | $1.5M | $51.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS May 8, 2023 | $126.9M | $120.7M | $6.2M | $49.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Mar 3, 2022 | $112.5M | $109.0M | $3.4M | $46.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 ViewingFiled with the IRS May 11, 2021 | $109.7M | $111.5M | −$1.8M | $40.9M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $109,707,690 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 7 of 8 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $109,707,690 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $111,546,258 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $103,636,981 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $40,947,659 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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