Chicago Hope Academy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
364244054
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3124911600
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Secondary, High School
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,295,928
Expenses
$7,582,108
Assets
$40,917,016
Liabilities
$4,295,761

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ISAIAH MUZIKOWSKI (PRESIDENT AND PRINCIPAL)

Highest reported compensation

  • PATRICK AHERN (FINANCIAL CONTROLLER): $163,193 total reported compensation
  • JOSEPH SALITURO (ATHLETIC DIRECTOR - TERM): $139,411 total reported compensation
  • ISAIAH MUZIKOWSKI (PRESIDENT AND PRINCIPAL): $132,977 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

A college and life preparatory high school dedicated to nurturing and challenging the whole person

What it reported doing in 2024

Chicago hope academy operates a christian, college- and life-preparatory high school serving students from underserved communities on the west side of chicago. The school delivers an integrated program of rigorous academics, spiritual formation, and extracurricular engagement designed to support the holistic development of students. During the 2024-2025 school year, chicago hope academy served approximately 300 students in grades 9-12. The majority of students received need-based financial aid, and many were first-generation college-bound. Small class sizes (estimated average of 12-15 students per teacher) enable individualized instruction, academic support, and mentoring relationships. Program accomplishments for the year included delivery of a college preparatory curriculum, expanded career readiness opportunities through a trades pathway program, and comprehensive student support services such as counseling and academic advising. Students participated in a variety of extracurricular activities, including approximately 14 sports teams, arts programming, and community service initiatives that promote leadership and personal development. Chicago hope academy also provided ongoing spiritual development programming, including chapel services, discipleship, and mentorship, aimed at fostering character, resilience, and a commitment to service.the primary objective for 2025 was to equip students for postsecondary success through academic achievement, character formation, and career exposure. Long-term goals include sustained high school graduation rates, increased college enrollment and persistence, and expanded access to career pathways, including skilled trades.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 64% 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 87
  • Sustainability: 72
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.1%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 76.3%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: 18.4%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.4; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 71.1% of revenue deployed · 76.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $163K · 18 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.