Ascend Charter Schools FY2023 filing

Tax-deductible

Brooklyn, NY501(c)(3)Since 2011EducationEIN 45-3957158Revenue $147.5M in FY2023

On file with the IRSascendlearning.org205 Rockaway Parkway 6th Floor, 11212-3444 · Brooklyn, NYTax-exempt since Sep 2014School — 170(b)(1)(A)(ii)

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Ascend Charter schools' (the "school") mission is to equip every student with the knowledge, confidence, and character to succeed in college and beyond. The school will span kindergarten through the 12th grade at maturity. From the earliest grades, students will steadily build a strong foundation of learning habits, critical thinking skills, and knowledge; excel academically in the middle and high school, mastering high-level math and science; and graduate as confident young adults, prepared to succeed as college students, as citizens, and as leaders in their chosen fields.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
83¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$800K 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

FY2023 · 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 $2.1M a year · 2% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
83%
of spending
Looks good: 83% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$800K
to officers and key staff · 0.5% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 0% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
1 mo
of spending, in cash
Fine: 1.4 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $3.5M
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$410.9M
97% of total assets
Concern: liabilities are 97% of assets; over 80%.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
7
of 7 voting members
Looks good: 7 of 7 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$147.5M
+7% vs prior year
Spent
$145.9M
To programs
83%
Net assets
$13.9M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$147.5M
FY2023▲ +7%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$117.8M
FY2021$130.1M
FY2022$137.4M
FY2023$147.5M
FY2024$139.3M
FY2025$137.6M
Expenses
$145.9M
FY2023▲ +8%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$121.0M
FY2021$116.5M
FY2022$135.7M
FY2023$145.9M
FY2024$139.0M
FY2025$138.9M
Net assets
$13.9M
FY2023▲ +36%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020−$5.1M
FY2021$8.5M
FY2022$10.2M
FY2023$13.9M
FY2024$14.1M
FY2025$22.0M

From the FY2023 Form 990 (year ending June 2023) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2023 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 Sep 2014.

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

Where the money goes

83 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 83% · $120.5M Management & general 17% · $25.4M

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

13 people listed on the 990; $800K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2022); the FY2023 filing did not itemize Part VII
$176,072Pt VII · Sec A
$169,065Pt VII · Sec A
$163,357Pt VII · Sec A
$149,119Pt VII · Sec A
Principal
$142,092Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Leyde St Leger’s $204K as Principal is at the 5th 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

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Leyde St Leger$203,696$191,767$149,119$136,215——
Zelda Washington————$193,175$164,042
Latasha Williams$191,053$183,062$169,065———
Curtis Durham—$187,334————
Hannah Chapman$178,677—————
Livia Angiolillo——$176,072$149,575$147,829—
Christopher Zilinski$169,442—————
Anastasia Michals—————$168,886

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 15aNo

Programs and updates

Empowers students with knowledge, confidence, and character for college and life success.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $120.5M · in their own filed words · FY2022
01

Ascend charter schools is a network of k-12 public charter schools serving 5,690 students in 9 schools across brooklyn, new york's most populous borough. Our undertaking is to lead our students on a great intellectual adventure, provide them with an exceptional college preparatory education, and place them firmly on the path to success…

$120.5Mprogram 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 · FY2022
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$3.5M

By the numbers

The FY2023 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$147.5M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$124.8M
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$22.2M
Investment incomeLn 3$463K
Money outPt IX
$145.9M
Ln 25
Programscol B$120.5M
Managementcol C$25.4M
Owns and owesPt X
$13.9M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$17.6M
Total assetsLn 16$424.8M
LiabilitiesLn 26$410.9M
PeoplePt VI, VII
13
listed · VII A
PaidVII A5
Voting boardVI 1a7
IndependentVI 1b7
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$22.2M
Government grantsLn 1e$18.0M
Noncash giftsLn 1g$515K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$124.8M
Investment incomeLn 3$463K
Other incomeLn 4–11$35K
Total revenueLn 12$147.5M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$1.4M
SavingsLn 2$16.2M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$17.6M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$16.8M
Other assetsLn 15$374.2M
Total assetsLn 16$424.8M
LiabilitiesLn 26$410.9M
Net assetsLn 32$13.9M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 5942
VolunteersI 612
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY23End FY23
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$27.5M$17.6M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$14.9M$16.8M
Total assetsLn 16$56.3M$424.8M
LiabilitiesLn 26$46.0M$410.9M
Net assetsLn 32$10.2M$13.9M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$60.9M$54.2M$6.7M
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$317K$279K$38K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$7.0M$6.1M$836K
Payroll taxesLn 10$4.7M$4.2M$570K
Management feesLn 11a$16.6M$6.8M$9.8M
Legal feesLn 11b$1K$1K
Accounting feesLn 11c$105K$105K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$5.5M$4.6M$959K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$307K$272K$34K
Office expensesLn 13$1.7M$817K$835K
Information technologyLn 14$5.0M$4.4M$616K
OccupancyLn 16$30.2M$26.4M$3.8M
TravelLn 17$526K$460K$66K
InterestLn 20$135K$116K$19K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$4.0M$3.5M$502K
InsuranceLn 23$800K$702K$98K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$7.5M$7.1M$370K
All other expensesLn 24e$633K$616K$17K
Total functional expensesLn 25$145.9M$120.5M$25.4M$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $137.6M$138.9M−$1.2M$22.0M 990 PDF
FY2024 $139.3M$139.0M$211K$14.1M 990 PDF
FY2023 Viewing $147.5M$145.9M$1.6M$13.9M 990 PDF
FY2022 $137.4M$135.7M$1.8M$10.2M 990 PDF
FY2021 $130.1M$116.5M$13.5M$8.5M 990 PDF
FY2020 $117.8M$121.0M−$3.2M−$5.1M 990 PDF

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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 FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $147,524,318 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $16,935,849$22,242,590
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $120,478,881$124,783,772
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $26,921$462,621
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $31$35,335
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $137,441,682$147,524,318
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 $70,100,071$72,933,560
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $65,565,512$73,011,960
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $135,665,583$145,945,520
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $1,776,099$1,578,798
Part VI · Governance 7 of 7 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body7
VI-1b Independent voting members7
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $147,524,318 across 8 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$17,980,245
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$4,262,345
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$515,016
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$22,242,590
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $124,783,772$124,783,772
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $462,621$462,621
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Excluded from tax $35,335$35,335
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $124,783,772 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $497,956$147,524,318
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $145,945,520 across 18 lines filed
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $54,181,726 · Management $6,727,428$60,909,154
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $279,060 · Management $38,138$317,198
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $6,129,100 · Management $835,723$6,964,823
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $4,172,187 · Management $570,198$4,742,385
IX-11a Management feesPrograms $6,817,420 · Management $9,810,430$16,627,850
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $1,304$1,304
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $105,319$105,319
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $4,587,129 · Management $958,681$5,545,810
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $272,449 · Management $34,073$306,522
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $816,694 · Management $835,204$1,651,898
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $4,395,510 · Management $615,705$5,011,215
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $26,374,981 · Management $3,806,990$30,181,971
IX-17 TravelPrograms $459,933 · Management $65,951$525,884
IX-20 InterestPrograms $116,178 · Management $19,171$135,349
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $3,505,670 · Management $502,315$4,007,985
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $702,044 · Management $97,975$800,019
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $7,108,574 · Management $369,504$7,478,078
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $615,890 · Management $16,866$632,756
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $120,534,545 · Management $25,410,975 · Fundraising $0$145,945,520
Part X · Balance sheet $424,782,493 assets, 14 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $1,660,657$1,380,776
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $25,806,844$16,194,873
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $10,274,467$15,994,676
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $590,625$186,955
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $14,933,943$16,776,732
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $3,000,756$374,248,481
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $56,267,292$424,782,493
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $7,692,457$6,923,401
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $1,790,602$306,372
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $34,475,424$401,684,188
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $46,034,297$410,861,717
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $10,232,995$13,920,776
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $10,232,995$13,920,776
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $56,267,292$424,782,493
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $13,920,776 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$147,524,318
XI-2 Total expenses$145,945,520
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$1,578,798
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$10,232,995
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$2,108,983
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$13,920,776

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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