California Competes EIN 88-2393598 Form 990 (PDF) Claim this org

California Competes

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Advocates for higher education policies that boost California's economy and promote equity. For fiscal year 2024 it reported $2.8M in revenue, $2.5M in expenses, and $3.9M in net assets.Pt I

Founded
2021
Type
Public charity (501(c)(3)) · Education
Location
Oakland, CA
Website
californiacompetes.org
Filings
2 on file (2023–2024)
Revenue
$2.8MFY2024
Expenses
$2.5M
Net assets
$3.9M
People
20
Filings
2
Updates
0
More identity details & actions ⌄
EIN  88-2393598 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Oakland, CA Founded 2021
Form 990 (PDF)
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Figures match the IRS filing checked 8/26/26 · see original: IRS
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Size
$1–10M
What they do
Advocates for higher education policies that boost California's economy and promote equity.
Leadership
Su Jin Jez · CEO · $255K
Money in and out
$2.8M revenue, $2.5M expenses
Bottom line
79% program efficiency
Where the money goes · FY2024
Total revenue
$2.8M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$2.5M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$3.9M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $273K
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.79 Management & general $0.15 Fundraising $0.06
Program efficiency
79%
of spending reaches programs▲ +4% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
13.7mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▲ +22% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
+10%
revenue over expenses, this year▼ -79% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2024 · Form 990
Revenue
$2.8M
FY2024▼ -30%
Expenses
$2.5M
FY2024▲ +18%
Total assets
$4.1M
FY2024▲ +7%
Total liabilities
$148K
FY2024▼ -9%
Total revenue
$2.8M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$2.5M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$3.9M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$273K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$4.1M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B79%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 314
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 414

Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CCalifornia Competes
EINHdr · item D88-2393598
Principal addressHdr · item COakland, CA
WebsiteHdr · item Jcaliforniacompetes.org
Year of formationHdr · item L2021
State of legal domicileHdr · item MCA
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFEducation (B05)
Ruling yearIRS BMFJan 2023

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a14
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b14
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
$255,000Pt VII · Sec A
$160,000Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Researcher
$149,158Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Researcher
$145,962Pt VII · Sec A
Policy Director
$142,800Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Communications/ Chief of Staff
$139,423Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Su Jin Jez’s $255K as CEO is at the 91st percentile of top reported officer pay among 3393 $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 · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2024
Su Jin Jez$255,000
Kim Bernet$160,000
Su Jin Jez$155,330
David Radwin$149,158
Laura Bernhard$145,962
Anna Johnson$142,800
Carolyn Ho$139,423
Laura Bernhard$108,691

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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Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

1 program service account for $2.0M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01

See schedule ocalifornia competes advances equitable postsecondary opportunities and a just and inclusive economy by influencing systems-level change for underserved californians. In FY24, california competes made significant progress by pursuing a range of strategies, from promoting access and success for adult learners to aligning…

$2.0Mprogram expense

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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$2.5M · 88%
Program service revenue$257K · 9%
Investment income$73K · 3%
Contributions & grants88%$2.5M
Program service revenue9%$257K
Investment income3%$73K
Total revenueLn 12$2.8M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.79 Management & general $0.15 Fundraising $0.06
Program services79%$2.0M
Management & general15%$379K
Fundraising6%$143K
Total functional expensesLn 25$2.5M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$2.9M
Total assetsLn 16$4.1M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$148K
Total net assetsLn 32$3.9M
Months of cash on handcomputed13.7

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2024 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $2.9M · Operating expenses/yr $2.5M
13.7 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $2.0M · Total expenses $2.5M
79%
Management & General
Management & general $379K · Total expenses $2.5M
15%
Fundraising
Fundraising $143K · Total expenses $2.5M
6%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $103K · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $2.8M
$0.04 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $2.5M · Total revenue $2.8M
88%
Government reliance
Government grants — · Total revenue $2.8M
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $257K · Total revenue $2.8M
9%
Investment reliance
Investment income $73K · Total revenue $2.8M
+3%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $257K · Total expenses $2.5M
10%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $2.8M · Prior year $4.0M
-30%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $3.9M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $2.8M · Expenses $2.5M
+10%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $4.1M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $3.9M · Total assets $4.1M
96%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $4.1M
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Su Jin Jez · Reported title CEO · Highest reported compensation $255K · Total expenses $2.5M
10%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $1.6M · Total expenses $2.5M
63%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 79%
Overhead ratio 15%
Fundraising cost ratio 6%
Revenue growth -30%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
See all 15 funders →
Grants paid · 5 grants · $563K · 2023–2024
Education Trust INCDC · FY2024$259,750
Education Trust INCDC · FY2023$205,000
Ca State Univ SacramentoFY2023$43,721
Unitemized GrantFY2023$21,700

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2024$4.0M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$2.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2024IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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