Aim High for High School

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
943296338
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone
4155512301
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,982,393
Expenses
$7,314,720
Assets
$24,060,631
Liabilities
$1,225,907

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JESUS GALINDO (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • JESSICA PULLANO (VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT)
  • BENJIE ACHTENBERG (VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS)

Highest reported compensation

  • JESUS GALINDO (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $317,049 total reported compensation
  • MATTHEW RENO (CHIEF OF STAFF): $236,180 total reported compensation
  • JESSICA PULLANO (VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT): $234,847 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To increase educational equity by providing joyful, enriching learning experiences for middle school students, aspiring teachers, and experienced educators.

What it reported doing in 2025

Summer program - the no-cost program is a five-week academic and summer enrichment program for middle school students. We cultivate spaces that are inclusive, empowering students to be resilient, and inspire curiosity and emotional well-being. Students engage in an innovative mix of stem, humanities and issues and choices. We provide high school readiness and college exploration experiences for students, including career panels, college visits, and career planning activities to help them envision their future. In 2025, aim high enrolled 2016 students across 14 sites.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.4%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 71.2%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th 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: Missing
    • 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: Limited
  • 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: -4.8%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.29; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.7%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.4% of revenue deployed · 71.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $5.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $317K · 25 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.