Association for Education Finance & Policy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 581350874
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Sparks, NV, USA
- Phone
- 7754534080
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $514,646
- Expenses
- $632,899
- Assets
- $946,610
- Liabilities
- $16,171
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
22 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CARA JACKSON (PRESIDENT)
- MICHAL KURLAENDER (PRESIDENT-EL)
Highest reported compensation
- ROBERTA HERMAN (EXECUTIVE DI): $112,001 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The association for education finance and policy (aefp) is dedicated to the promotion of research and partnerships that can inform education policy and finance and improve education outcomes. The aefp promotes its mission by: encouraging intellectually rigorous education finance and policy-related inquiry and scholarship capable of improving understanding and practice. Disseminating theoretical and practically useful knowledge. Stimulating responsible public and professional deliberation and debate regarding findings, practical policy applications, and research methods. Expanding the spectrum of scholars and practitioners from multiple intellectual disciplines and professional fields examining education finance and policy. Welcoming early career scholars and practitioners into conversations about education finance and policy and fostering an atmosphere of inclusion and respect. Centering justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the work of the organization to ensure that all voices
What it reported doing in 2024
More than 900 participants attended aefp's 2024 annual conference, where researchers and practitioners presented their work on p-20 education finance and policy. Conference participants include policymakers from local, state, and federal agencies; representatives from teacher associations; university faculty; researchers from think tanks and nonprofit organizations; and professionals in fields such as education, economics, political science, public administration, and higher education. Major topic areas include educator labor markets and effectiveness, student outcomes, and school finance. The conference's relatively small size fosters meaningful engagement among attendees across career stages and sectors. Aefp's annual conference is the organization's primary mode of member engagement and includes plenary sessions and networking opportunities that facilitate collaboration beyond paper presentations.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 68% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 90% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 92
- Transparency & Controls: 93
- Accountability: 74
- Sustainability: 30
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 86.9%; rating input score 87
- Fundraising efficiency: $24.62 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -23%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.5; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 17.7%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 86.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $550K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $112K · 22 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes grants
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 56/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.