Alliance Center for Education Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
560543244
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Charlotte, NC, USA
Phone
7043717447
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,597,640
Expenses
$10,576,316
Assets
$4,906,665
Liabilities
$1,297,256

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JARED KEATON (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • JARED KEATON (CEO): $178,066 total reported compensation
  • BRIAN LUCKADOO (CFO): $108,540 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to provide high-quality education and support for children in need through partnership with their families. Our vision is to positively affect the future of children at risk by improving economic mobility through education. We firmly believe that education is a powerful catalyst for breaking the cycle of poverty. By investing in family engagement and offering holistic support, we are paving the way for a brighter future, where every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Together, we are building a bridge to success, one family at a time. Our programs are a beacon of hope, offered to eligible children and families at no cost. To ensure targeted impact, we employ a meticulous recruitment, selection, and enrollment process, reaching the populations in greatest need of our services. Upon enrollment, each family receives personalized support from our dedicated team members. Together, they set ambitious student and family goals, and we leave no stone unturned

What it reported doing in 2025

At the alliance center for education, we offer a dynamic continuum of services to support children's transition from pre-kndergarten to their k- 12 school years. Our out of school time (ost) program is available throughout the academic year and summer camp, providing engaging and enriching experiences beyond regular school hours. Our kindergarten-5th grade ost program fosters a love for learning in children by exploring various subjects, including math, art, science, music, and nutrition, through fun learn-at-play activities in the afternoon. Our dedicated ost educational professionals also provide homework help and tutoring to keep schoolwork on track. We ensure students have opportunities for physical fitness activities, special events, arts and crafts, and field trips, encouraging their continued participation year after year. Additionally, our 6th grade-12th ost- ac4ed teen leadership cooperative program is designed as a social learning environment to equip students entering their teens with critical thinking skills that will serve them for a lifetime. Apart from tutoring and homework assistance, our ost educational professionals mentor ac4ed students in personal development, character education, goal-setting, time management, financial planning, understanding various career opportunities, and considering college options and tours. To create a balanced educational experience, we incoporate guest speakers, field trips, special events and exploration in arts, music, and nutrition sciences. We are proud to support these programs through municipal and corporate grants, along with fundraising activities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 97% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 60
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.2%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 86.2%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.2%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.7%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.1% per year; rating input score 100; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.2% of revenue deployed · 86.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $9.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $178K · 18 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 44/100.