American Councils
Legal name: American Councils for International Education Actr Accels Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 521067256
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Jun 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, United States
- Phone
- 2028337522
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- International Academic Exchange
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $111,646,743
- Expenses
- $110,626,231
- Assets
- $59,986,485
- Liabilities
- $43,771,279
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
41 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- LISA CHOATE (President)
- MICHAEL CURTIS (Executive Vice President, Strategic Development)
- BRIAN GIBSON (Vice President for Language Programs)
Highest reported compensation
- LISA CHOATE (President): $410,481 total reported compensation
- JOHN HENDERSON (Chief Financial Officer): $396,834 total reported compensation
- MICHAEL CURTIS (Executive Vice President, Strategic Development): $333,207 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
American Councils strengthens international ties and connections between countries and cultures through excellence in academic, professional and cultural exchange. We count every exchange student, fellow, host parent, donor, and visiting teacher among our valued partners. We are also thankful for the institutions, ministries, embassies and many U.S. high schools, colleges, and universities that make our work in international education possible. Our partnerships empower cultural and educational advancements, language acquisition, foster dialogue, and promote peace in countries vital to our national security and economy. Learn more about our **philanthropic initiatives and scholarships**, or **how you can volunteer** or provide in-kind donations or services to support students, emerging leaders, and public servants from 140 countries. To learn more about.
What it reported doing in 2024
Student exchange: american councils administers educational exchange opportunities. In coordination with the u.s. And foreign governments, foundations and private sector funders for over 5,000 secondary school, undergraduate, and graduate students each year from approximately 85 countries across africa, south and east asia, europe, eurasia, the middle east, and north and south america. American councils also manages language and cultural immersion programs for americans in africa, asia, europe, eurasia, and the middle east for secondary school, undergraduate, graduate students, and scholars. These programs promote mutual understanding between americans and international students. Inbound students to the u.s. Learn firsthand about u.s. Values, volunteerism and leadership. In addition, students share their u.s. Experiences with friends, families and communities in their home countries. Similarly, u.s. Outbound students are afforded opportunities to share american culture and values with their international host families, host institutions, and friends during their overseas programs, strengthening the understanding of the u.s. And its people on a global scale.american councils also works with governments and institutions to strengthen educational systems. American councils has helped establish national systems of higher education admissions that are based on principles of openness, transparency, and meritocracy. American councils has advised ministries to bolster academic integrity in higher education, helped draft legislation that outlines a new codes of conduct, and has advised on the creation and implementation of national assessment and university entrance exams. American councils conducts research and provides consulting on dual language immersion learning in k12, adult secondlanguage learning and instruction, teacher evaluation and training, and scholarship administration for institutions of higher education.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 91% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 85
- Transparency & Controls: 73
- Accountability: 91
- Sustainability: 31
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 83%; rating input score 83
- Program expense ratio: 83.5%; rating input score 84
- Fundraising efficiency: $566.65 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 2nd 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Pass
- Conducts field audits: Limited
- May suspend future funding: Limited
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Limited
- Requires grant agreements: Limited
- May require repayment: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- 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: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0.9%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.54; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.73; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 83% of revenue deployed · 83.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 24 of 26 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $92.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $410K · 41 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $18.2M reported
- Consistency: 37 of 39 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
- 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.
Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.