Association for Early Learning Leaders

Tax-deductible

Austin, TX501(c)(3)Since 1984Human ServicesEIN 74-2992849Revenue $1.5M in FY2025

On file with the IRSearlylearningleaders.org1250 S Capital of Texas Hwy Bldg 3, 78746-6446 · Austin, TXTax-exempt since Aug 2001Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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To help child care providers improve the quality of child care they provide to the public, and to help members become better child care professionals. The Association for Early Learning Leaders is committed to strengthening the skills of owners, directors, administrators, emerging Leaders and other professionals who are dedicated to Early care and education.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
90¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 33 volunteers and 10 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · 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
2 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $24K a year · 2% of revenue · last 6 filings
Concern: a surplus in 2 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
90%
of spending
Looks good: 90% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$104K
to officers and key staff · 7% of spending
Top officer’s pay lower than 62% of similar orgs
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 7% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
2 mo
of spending, in cash
Fine: 2.2 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $15K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$344K
93% of total assets
Concern: liabilities are 93% of assets; over 80%.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
0
of 12 voting members
Concern: none of 12 voting members are independent.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.5M
-18% vs prior year
Spent
$1.5M
To programs
90%
Net assets
$26K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$1.5M
FY2025▼ -18%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$1.0M
FY2021$869K
FY2022$1.2M
FY2023$1.7M
FY2024$1.8M
FY2025$1.5M
Expenses
$1.5M
FY2025▼ -25%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$911K
FY2021$877K
FY2022$1.2M
FY2023$1.7M
FY2024$2.0M
FY2025$1.5M
Net assets
$26K
FY2025▼ -81%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$268K
FY2021$263K
FY2022$302K
FY2023$261K
FY2024$132K
FY2025$26K

From the FY2025 Form 990 (year ending June 2025) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Aug 2001.

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

Where the money goes

90 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 90% · $1.4M Management & general 9% · $135K Fundraising 1% · $11K

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

12 people listed on the 990; $104K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
Executive Dir.
$103,538Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Chairman
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Chairman
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Chairman
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Lori Buxton’s $104K as Executive Dir. is at the 38th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3869 $1–10M human services 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 · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Lori Buxton$103,538$100,700$97,150$90,302$64,129$58,349
Erin Schmidt—$79,498$75,000$73,894$55,433$48,319

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

Improves child care quality and professional skills for early learning leaders.

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Provided by the organization

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2 programs · $1.4M · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

Conferences and seminars to help child care providers improve the qualify of child care they provide to the public, and services to help members become better child care professionals.

$747Kprogram expense
02

Accreditation and on-site reviews of child care facilities to improve the consistency and professionalism in child care centers.

$611Kprogram 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 · FY2020
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$15K

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.5M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$1.3M
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$96K
Other incomeLn 4–11$24K
Money outPt IX
$1.5M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.4M
Managementcol C$135K
Fundraisingcol D$11K
Owns and owesPt X
$26K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$275K
Total assetsLn 16$369K
LiabilitiesLn 26$344K
PeoplePt VI, VII
12
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a12
IndependentVI 1b0
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$96K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$1.3M
Investment incomeLn 3$2K
Other incomeLn 4–11$24K
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$1.5M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$275K
SavingsLn 2$0
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$275K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$46K
Other assetsLn 15$7K
Total assetsLn 16$369K
LiabilitiesLn 26$344K
Net assetsLn 32$26K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 510
VolunteersI 633
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 FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$183K$275K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$9K$46K
Total assetsLn 16$276K$369K
LiabilitiesLn 26$143K$344K
Net assetsLn 32$132K$26K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$104K$47K$47K$10K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$369K$332K$37K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$18K$16K$2K
Payroll taxesLn 10$36K$32K$4K$793
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$14K$13K$1K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$56K$51K$6K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$37K$33K$4K
Office expensesLn 13$64K$58K$6K
Information technologyLn 14$33K$30K$3K
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$19K$17K$2K
TravelLn 17$20K$18K$2K
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$517K$517K
InterestLn 20$813$732$81
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$13K$12K$1K
InsuranceLn 23$5K$5K$536
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$197K$177K$20K
All other expensesLn 24e$0
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.5M$1.4M$135K$11K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $1.5M$1.5M−$38K$26K 990 PDF
FY2024 $1.8M$2.0M−$230K$132K 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.7M$1.7M−$25K$261K 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.2M$1.2M$45K$302K 990 PDF
FY2021 $869K$877K−$7K$263K 990 PDF
FY2020 $1.0M$911K$111K$268K 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 FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,465,236 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $53,909$96,285
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $1,710,352$1,343,185
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $14,539$1,848
I-11 Other revenue$23,918
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $1,778,800$1,465,236
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $608,180$526,156
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $1,400,185$977,033
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $2,008,365$1,503,189
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$229,565−$37,953
Part VI · Governance 0 of 12 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body12
VI-1b Independent voting members0
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
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,465,236 across 10 lines filed
VIII-1b Membership dues$72,708
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$23,577
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$96,285
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $1,343,185$1,343,185
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $1,848$1,848
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assets$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events$23,918
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $1,345,033$1,465,236
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,503,189 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individuals$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $46,665 · Management $46,665 · Fundraising $10,370$103,700
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $331,988 · Management $36,887$368,875
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $16,006 · Management $1,778$17,784
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $31,504 · Management $3,500 · Fundraising $793$35,797
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal fees$0
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $12,847 · Management $1,427$14,274
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11e Professional fundraising fees$0
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $50,629 · Management $5,625$56,254
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $33,318 · Management $3,702$37,020
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $57,644 · Management $6,405$64,049
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $29,840 · Management $3,315$33,155
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $17,336 · Management $1,926$19,262
IX-17 TravelPrograms $18,227 · Management $2,025$20,252
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $517,285$517,285
IX-20 InterestPrograms $732 · Management $81$813
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $11,500 · Management $1,278$12,778
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $4,820 · Management $536$5,356
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $176,881 · Management $19,654$196,535
IX-24e All other expenses$0
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,357,222 · Management $134,804 · Fundraising $11,163$1,503,189
Part X · Balance sheet $369,419 assets, 19 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $183,441$275,115
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investments$0
X-3 Pledges and grants receivable$0
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $68,617$31,021
X-8 Inventories for sale or use$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $7,600$10,100
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $9,167$46,389
X-11 Publicly traded securities$0
X-12 Other securities$0
X-13 Program-related investments$0
X-14 Intangible assets$0
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $6,794$6,794
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $275,619$369,419
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $53,780$229,633
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $89,671$114,154
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $143,451$343,787
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $132,168$25,632
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $132,168$25,632
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $275,619$369,419
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $25,632 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,465,236
XI-2 Total expenses$1,503,189
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$37,953
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$132,168
XI-9 Other changes in net assets−$68,583
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$25,632

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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