Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jan 1999.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
77 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
9 people listed on the 990; $77K paid to officers and key staff.
Karen Blackburn’s $85K as Executive Di is at the 61st percentile of top reported officer pay among 1708 $100K–1M community development 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 · 1 named individual · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Blackburn | $84,856 | $76,555 | $71,577 | $66,856 | $61,484 |
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
Offers local college education, training, and lifelong learning on Lake Superior's North Shore.
Questions for Cook County Higher Education
Your first name shows with your question. Cook County Higher Education answers here, for everyone.
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Supported post-secondary and trades education through tuition scholarships, provided refurbished low cost laptops to residents, offered tutoring support to k-12 and adult learners, proctored exams, advocated for students, and hosted 10,323 education events.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $266K | $402K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $391K | $371K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $670K | $810K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $289 | $7K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $669K | $804K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $77K | $51K | $21K | $5K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $171K | $115K | $46K | $10K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $51K | $34K | $14K | $3K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $18K | $12K | $5K | $1K |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $6K | $6K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $7K | $7K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $10K | $8K | $2K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $20K | $16K | $4K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $7K | $6K | $1K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $193K | $190K | $2K | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $35K | $20K | $13K | $2K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $597K | $462K | $114K | $21K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $661K | $627K | $34K | $843K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 Viewing | $721K | $597K | $124K | $804K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $584K | $589K | −$6K | $669K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $556K | $508K | $47K | $674K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $516K | $456K | $60K | $643K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $721,363 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 8 of 8 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $721,363 across 7 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $597,287 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $810,490 assets, 11 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $803,976 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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