Access College Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

High school program and college success program: the foundation provided postsecondary education planning to more than 5,095 high school juniors, seniors and college students during 2024 and 4,391 in 2023. Of those students served in 2024, 3,718 families (73%), were verified to be low-income and in 2023, 3,199 (73%) were verified to be low-income. Postsecondary education planning program: these program includes school-based and virtual advisory services for college and postsecondary training preparation and success, college application/ testing fee payments, guidance through the admissions process, college tours to prospective campuses, and the leveraging of financial aid, scholarships, and grants needed to attend college or other postsecondary training. Each high school junior and senior completes an "access services application" at the beginning of the school year for our use in determining their eligibility for services to receive fee waivers and fee payments made by access on their behalf. This application also defines their family's level of poverty, based on federal guidelines. When financial aid forms (fafsas) are filed for the seniors and our college students, the family size and income information are captured on the completed "fafsa consultation form updated in our student database. This information was used to verify that 73% of the students in 2024 and 73% of the students in 2023 belonged to a family whose annual household income was not in excess of 300% of the federal poverty guidelines. Middle school program: with our foundation's primary target being students from low-income families who may not otherwise have access, we begin laying the groundwork of early college awareness/readiness activities to middle school students in the 7th and 8th grades and then follow them into high school in the 9th and 10th grades. Much of this work is done in group settings and students in these grade levels do not disclose their family's financial information in order to receive services. We do know that the schools these students attend have a majority population receiving free or reduced lunch. Additionally, while our mission is to serve low-income students, we know that in the process of providing postsecondary education planning to these low-income students, other students may receive information or benefit from activities provided in group settings.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 62.1%; rating input score 62
• Program expense ratio: 75.3%; rating input score 75
• Fundraising efficiency: $9.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • 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; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 97.4%; rating input score 97; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 20.1%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 14.1; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.1%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings