philanthropy.org | 990 Resource | FAQ Verify yourself
Sign in

Rethinking Schools Limited FY2020 filing

Tax-deductible

Milwaukee, WI501(c)(3)EducationEIN 39-1696524Revenue $1.1M in FY2020

On file with the IRSrethinkingschools.org9618 W Greenfield Ave, 53214-2601 · Milwaukee, WITax-exempt since Aug 1991Publicly supported — 509(a)(2)

This page gets seen. Tell your story. Claim this org.

Rethinking Schools is a nonprofit publisher and advocacy organization dedicated to sustaining and strengthening public education through social justice teaching and education activism. Our magazine, books, and other resources promote equity and racial justice in the classroom. We encourage grassroots efforts in our Schools and communities to enhance the learning and well being of our children, and to build broad democratic movements for social and environmental justice.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
74¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$94K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2020 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $31K a year · 3% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
74%
of spending
Fine: 74% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$94K
to officers and key staff · 9% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 9% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
7 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 7.3 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
6
named funders · $192K
Looks good: 6 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$280K
36% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 36% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
7
of 9 voting members
Looks good: 7 of 9 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.1M
Spent
$1.0M
To programs
74%
Net assets
$504K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$1.1M
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$1.1M
FY2021$1.5M
FY2022$1.0M
FY2023$888K
FY2024$1.1M
FY2025$1.0M
Expenses
$1.0M
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$1.0M
FY2021$1.3M
FY2022$1.2M
FY2023$1.1M
FY2024$1.0M
FY2025$842K
Net assets
$504K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$504K
FY2021$699K
FY2022$539K
FY2023$299K
FY2024$377K
FY2025$560K

From the FY2020 Form 990 (year ending June 2020) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

Give Claim
You’re viewing the FY2020 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Aug 1991.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

74 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 74% · $753K Management & general 21% · $212K Fundraising 5% · $48K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

Something off? The org can add a note here. Claim this org to fix it.

Who runs it and what they're paid

9 people listed on the 990; $94K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2019); the FY2020 filing did not itemize Part VII
$47,351Pt VII · Sec A
Gina Palazzari
Business Mgr
$46,304Pt VII · Sec A
Ursula Wolfe-Rocca
Vice President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Larry Miller
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
David Levine
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Wayne Au
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Cierra Kaler-Jones’s $91K as Executive Director is at the 25th 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 · 5 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2022FY2021FY2020
Cierra Kaler-Jones$90,578$94,231———
Ari Bloomekatz———$56,870$47,351
Gina Palazzari———$56,870$46,304
Linda Christensen——$1,000——
Ursula Wolfe-Rocca——$750$750—

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 Rethinking Schools Limited executive salaries →

Are you one of these people? Claim this org to confirm your role

Something off? The org can add a note here. Claim this org to fix it.

Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2Yes
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

Promotes social justice teaching and activism to strengthen public education and foster equity.

Questions for Rethinking Schools Limited

Tap to ask. Rethinking Schools Limited sees how many people are interested.

Your first name shows with your question. Rethinking Schools Limited answers here, for everyone.

Provided by the organization

Know this organization? Claim it to add your story

1 program · $753K · in their own filed words · FY2019
01

Published the book rethinking sexism, gender and sexuality and kept over 20 other titles in circulation

$753Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
California Community FoundationFY2024$100K
National Education Association of the United StatesFY2024$40K
National Philanthropic TrustFY2024$20K
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFY2024$11K
The Seattle FoundationFY2024$10K
Vanguard Charitable Endowment ProgramFY2024$10K
Total grants receivedfrom 6 funders$192K
See all 6 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2020 990, line by line.

Download 990
from philanthropy.org
1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.1M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$790K
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$331K
Other incomeLn 4–11$21K
Money outPt IX
$1.0M
Ln 25
Programscol B$753K
Managementcol C$212K
Fundraisingcol D$48K
Owns and owesPt X
$504K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$614K
Total assetsLn 16$784K
LiabilitiesLn 26$280K
PeoplePt VI, VII
9
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a9
IndependentVI 1b7
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$331K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$790K
Other incomeLn 4–11$21K
Total revenueLn 12$1.1M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$539K
SavingsLn 2$75K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$614K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$4K
Total assetsLn 16$784K
LiabilitiesLn 26$280K
Net assetsLn 32$504K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 57
VolunteersI 628
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY20End FY20
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$355K$614K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$5K$4K
Total assetsLn 16$483K$784K
LiabilitiesLn 26$108K$280K
Net assetsLn 32$374K$504K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$59K$31K$23K$5K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$246K$130K$93K$22K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$9K$5K$3K$765
Other employee benefitsLn 9$53K$28K$20K$5K
Payroll taxesLn 10$22K$11K$8K$2K
Accounting feesLn 11c$6K$6K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$159K$150K$9K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$18K$18K$366
Office expensesLn 13$97K$85K$7K$5K
RoyaltiesLn 15$6K$6K
OccupancyLn 16$18K$9K$7K$2K
TravelLn 17$5K$4K$747$497
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$2K$816$585$138
InsuranceLn 23$5K$3K$2K$431
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$297K$265K$29K$4K
All other expensesLn 24e$11K$6K$4K$756
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.0M$753K$212K$48K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $1.0M$842K$183K$560K 990 PDF
FY2024 $1.1M$1.0M$78K$377K 990 PDF
FY2023 $888K$1.1M−$237K$299K 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.0M$1.2M−$160K$539K 990 PDF
FY2021 $1.5M$1.3M$195K$699K 990 PDF
FY2020 Viewing $1.1M$1.0M$130K$504K 990 PDF

Want to add your own materials alongside these filings? Claim this org

Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,142,405 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $344,383$331,035
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $782,184$790,250
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $0$0
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $23,772$21,120
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $1,150,339$1,142,405
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $319,205$388,236
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $645,930$624,431
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $965,135$1,012,667
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $185,204$129,738
Part VI · Governance 7 of 9 board members independent, 3 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body9
VI-1b Independent voting members7
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,142,405 across 5 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$331,035
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$331,035
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $790,250$790,250
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $4,436 · Unrelated business $16,684$21,120
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $794,686 · Unrelated business $16,684 · Excluded from tax $0$1,142,405
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,012,667 across 16 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $31,406 · Management $22,518 · Fundraising $5,333$59,257
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $130,315 · Management $93,432 · Fundraising $22,129$245,876
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $4,505 · Management $3,231 · Fundraising $765$8,501
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $28,064 · Management $20,121 · Fundraising $4,766$52,951
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $11,475 · Management $8,227 · Fundraising $1,949$21,651
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $6,500$6,500
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $150,464 · Management $8,655$159,119
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $17,923 · Fundraising $366$18,289
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $84,928 · Management $6,590 · Fundraising $5,041$96,559
IX-15 RoyaltiesPrograms $6,448$6,448
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $9,479 · Management $6,796 · Fundraising $1,609$17,884
IX-17 TravelPrograms $3,733 · Management $747 · Fundraising $497$4,977
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $816 · Management $585 · Fundraising $138$1,539
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $2,538 · Management $1,819 · Fundraising $431$4,788
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $264,802 · Management $28,765 · Fundraising $3,725$297,292
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $5,861 · Management $4,419 · Fundraising $756$11,036
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $752,757 · Management $212,405 · Fundraising $47,505$1,012,667
Part X · Balance sheet $784,189 assets, 15 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $344,333$538,638
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $10,836$75,188
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $23,899$25,681
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $87,489$112,840
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $1,500$1,535
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $4,846$3,532
X-14 Intangible assets$26,775
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $482,903$784,189
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $103,202$210,350
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $5,249$5,249
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $108,451$279,999
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $322,607$493,090
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $51,845$11,100
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $374,452$504,190
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $482,903$784,189
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $504,190 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,142,405
XI-2 Total expenses$1,012,667
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$129,738
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$374,452
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$504,190

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

Similar organizations you could support · Compare with another nonprofit

Names, privacy, and removal requests More

The names, titles, and compensation shown on this page are reproduced from IRS Form 990 filings, which are public records.

Philanthropy.org does not alter the content of those filings. All information appears exactly as reported by the filing organization for the tax year shown.

We publish only information contained in the public IRS filing — and less than the filing contains. Our profile pages do not display street addresses, telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or other personal contact information, even where the filing includes them.

Many people share the same name. A name shown on this page reflects only what one organization reported in one IRS filing for one tax year. It should not be interpreted as identifying any other individual with the same or a similar name.

If you are no longer affiliated with the organization, your name will generally stop appearing in future IRS filings once the organization no longer reports you. Pages for tax years in which you were reported remain published because those filings remain part of the public record.

Philanthropy.org does not alter or remove IRS filing records. Removing a page from this website would not remove the underlying IRS filing, which remains publicly available from the IRS and other publishers of the same information.

If you believe the IRS filing itself is inaccurate, corrections must be made by the filing organization or the IRS directly.

If you ARE the filing organization, claim this org and add context

Made it to the end? Claim this organization

All figures are derived from public IRS Form 990 filings and are presented without evaluation of any organization. philanthropy.org does not rate, score, or rank organizations, including the pay comparisons above.