College Track

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
943279613
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
5108343295
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$54,424,591
Expenses
$47,065,439
Assets
$113,361,202
Liabilities
$26,672,780

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • COLLADO SHIRLEY (PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXE. OFFICER)
  • TOMLINSON SHRIA (VICE PRESIDENT, SITE STRATEGY)
  • NEGUSSIE ROBEL (VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE)
  • JOHNSON AUDREY M (VICE PRESIDENT, PHILANTHROPY)

Highest reported compensation

  • COLLADO SHIRLEY (PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXE. OFFICER): $632,339 total reported compensation
  • DRAPER KAREN (CHIEF FINANCE & OPERATING OFFICER): $323,713 total reported compensation
  • FERRO ROSANNA (CHIEF OF EDUCATION UNTIL AUG. 2024): $315,562 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

See schedule ocollege track is a national college completion program that equips first-generation scholars to earn a bachelor's degree and build lives filled with opportunity, choice, purpose, and power. College track partners with first generation students from under-resourced communities, walking with them from high school through college graduation. For nearly 30 years, our 10 year program has provided the academic, financial, and personal support scholars need to complete college and pursue meaningful careers. Today nearly 6,600 college track scholars and alumni across 13 communities and almost 300 colleges are proving what's possible when talent meets opportunity. Together with our partners and supporters, we are expanding access to higher education and building a future where every scholar has the chance to create a life filled with choice, purpose, and power.

What it reported doing in 2024

In fy25, college track's program equipped 4,800 scholars to advance towards bachelor's degrees, and provided resources to a growing alumni network of 1,800 college graduates. Our class of 2025 high school seniors had an average gpa at graduation of 3.52, with 96% accepted into at least one four-year college and 96% matriculating to a two-year or four-year college. 86% college persistence rate for class of 2024. 51% of college track scholars from the class of 2019 have graduated with a bachelor's degree within five years, more than 2.5 times the national average for first-generation college scholars.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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 reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 69.5%; rating input score 70
  • Program expense ratio: 78.5%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: 13.5%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.41; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.3%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 69.5% of revenue deployed · 78.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $36.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $632K · 27 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $633K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 12 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 48/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.