Academy for Urban School Leadership

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
364447457
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
7735340129
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,688,015
Expenses
$9,995,634
Assets
$9,826,029
Liabilities
$630,873

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ADAM CASE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • DONALD FEINSTEIN (FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • DONALD FEINSTEIN (FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $269,680 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL WHITMORE (MANAGING DIRECTOR, TEACHIN): $222,352 total reported compensation
  • SHANE CATERINO (DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAI): $212,440 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) is a nonprofit organization that recruits, trains and supports new teachers in underserved communities to ensure every student has a great teacher and a transformative education.

What it reported doing in 2024

Teacher Development - AUSL created the Chicago Teacher Residency (CTR) program, which is a partnership between AUSL, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and DePaul University. This nationally recognized program recruits and trains teachers with the long-term passion and skillset to serve in under-resourced communities and improve educational outcomes for students. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the CTR graduated 105 resident teachers, a 44% increase from the prior year. The program is a year-long resident teacher training program that combines a master's degree and significant classroom experience under the guidance of a trained and experienced mentor teacher. The residents receive intensive practice and individualized coaching while spending four days a week in CPS classrooms, observing and practicing the skills and strategies necessary to be an effective teacher. The CTR model also engages residents in graduate-level coursework to earn a master's degree with DePaul University. The graduates of the CTR have training and experience that far exceeds that of traditionally trained teachers and are uniquely prepared to transform student outcomes through teaching. As of June 30, 2025, AUSL has graduated 1,549 resident teachers. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the CTR graduated 105 resident teachers, a 44% increase from the prior year. During the year ended June 30, 2025, AUSL established the Lake County Teacher Residency (LCTR) in Lake County, IL, using donor-restricted funds. The LCTR mirrors the CTR model, providing the same year-long residency, graduate-level coursework through DePaul University, intensive classroom experience, and mentorship. As part of the program's launch, AUSL recruited and enrolled a class of 20 resident teachers who began training in schools in Round Lake, North Chicago, and Waukegan in August 2025.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 54% for direct work, and 46% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.1%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 72.6%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.2%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.98; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.8%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -11.3% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -7.3% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -3% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.1% of revenue deployed · 72.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $7.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $270K · 26 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $233K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 12 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.