Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 2017.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
82 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
10 people listed on the 990; $462K paid to officers and key staff.
Tanya Ang - Managing Dir’s $149K as Then Exec. Dir. (transition 6/1/24) is at the 95th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1613 $100K–1M 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 · 7 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Peller | — | $231,971 | $243,328 | $225,537 | $223,607 | $214,241 |
| Tanya Ang - Managing Dir | $148,732 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Amy Ellen Duke-Banfield | — | $147,546 | — | — | — | — |
| Tanya Ang | — | $133,732 | $144,117 | — | — | — |
| Emily Bouck | — | — | — | $133,414 | $130,913 | $130,553 |
| Nia Davis | — | — | — | — | $107,116 | — |
| Julie Peller - Exec Dir | $97,687 | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Advocates for policies supporting today's students through research, testimony, and educating policymakers.
Questions for Higher Learning Advocates INC
Your first name shows with your question. Higher Learning Advocates INC answers here, for everyone.
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Government Relations
Higher learning advocates educates and informs bipartisan policymakers on issues related to the organization's mission, including who today's students are.
Policy and Advocacy
Higher learning advocates conducts rigorous policy analysis, provides expert testimony, and educates policymakers on key issues related to its mission.
Communications
Through media and public engagement, higher learning advocates works to build support for reforming the nation's postsecondary education policies and elevate new perspectives through elevating a diverse set of voices.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $802K | $956K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $59K | $27K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $2.1M | $1.0M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $82K | $176K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $2.0M | $861K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $269K | $229K | $40K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $474K | $371K | $54K | $49K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $23K | $18K | $2K | $3K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $65K | $55K | $4K | $6K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $56K | $46K | $6K | $4K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $50K | $47K | $982 | $3K |
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $36K | $36K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $353K | $265K | $59K | $29K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $109K | $108K | $218 | $228 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $13K | $9K | $4K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $71K | $47K | $22K | $3K |
| TravelLn 17 | −$183 | $16 | −$199 | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $4K | $4K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $31K | $29K | $610 | $2K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $5K | $4K | $90 | $237 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $49K | $46K | $1K | $2K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.6M | $1.3M | $194K | $100K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $919K | $716K | $203K | $487K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $1.7M | $1.7M | $17K | $284K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $802K | $1.7M | −$922K | $266K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $1.7M | $1.3M | $327K | $1.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 Viewing | $420K | $1.6M | −$1.2M | $861K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $19K | $1.6M | −$1.5M | $2.0M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $420,468 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 7 of 7 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $420,468 across 5 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,608,400 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $1,037,194 assets, 14 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $860,968 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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