Athletes Committed to Educating Students
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 411789659
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Phone
- 6123313454
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Student Services, Organizations of Students
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,064,976
- Expenses
- $1,511,344
- Assets
- $271,470
- Liabilities
- $55,974
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
18 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- JAZMIN DANIELSON (EXECUTIVE DI): $133,172 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Aces is an innovative out-of-school-time program that brings math and social-emotional learning to life for Minnesota students. Our hands-on curriculum, individual mentorship, and once-in-a-lifetime field trip opportunities help students develop crucial academic and life skills all through the exciting lens of sport themes. In partnership with minnesotas professional and collegiate sports teams, aces is tackling the academic opportunity gap and preparing young learners to succeed in school, career, and community. Our mission is to empower youth and expand opportunity through engaging, inclusive, and accessible learning experiences.
What it reported doing in 2024
Aces implements year-round, relationship-centered, structured, project- based programming and academic support services focused on three key areas of youth development: academics, leadership and character development, and community belonging. Programs include career exposure activities designed to connect academic learning to real-world applications and pathways. Program participants who attend regularly demonstrate improved foundational academic skills and increased confidence, particularly within a math- focused stem lens, as well as increased school attendance, enhanced leadership and character outcomes, and greater connection to their communities. In addition, aces operates a youth leadership council, which provides students with opportunities to develop leadership skills, engage in decision-making, and contribute to program design and community initiatives. Youth participants build confidence, strengthen their voice, and gain experience in civic engagement and peer leadership.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 91% 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
STRONG - 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: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 13
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 97.5%; rating input score 97
- Program expense ratio: 68.7%; rating input score 69
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.39 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: Limited
- 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: 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: NotApplicable
- 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: -41.9%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.18; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.6% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 97.5% of revenue deployed · 68.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $133K · 18 people listed
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.