Learning Policy Institute
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 472772048
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Palo Alto, CA, USA
- Phone
- 6503329797
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $10,514,616
- Expenses
- $16,502,674
- Assets
- $35,777,788
- Liabilities
- $5,219,035
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Linda Darling-Hammond (Director/CEO)
- Patrick Shields (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Linda Darling-Hammond (Director/CEO): $576,347 total reported compensation
- Patrick Shields (Executive Director): $448,572 total reported compensation
- Teresa M Godfrey (CFAO): $344,981 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 Learning Policy Institute (LPI) conducts and disseminates independent, high-quality research to improve learning for all children. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, LPI connects policymakers and stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels with the evidence and strategies needed to strengthen the education system from preschool through college and career.
What it reported doing in 2024
Early Childhood Education. LPI research informed policymakers' efforts to provide universal access to high-quality early learning. Reports examined California's progress toward universal prekindergarten, integration in early childhood education, and coaching as a strategy for strengthening the early learning workforce. Educator Quality. LPI developed tools to assess the cost of teacher turnover and the extent of teacher shortages in each state. LPI published reports examining successful teacher residencies, state and federal policies to support residencies, and how teacher preparation predicts teacher performance assessment results. In the area of school leadership, LPI conducted research on state approaches to developing educational leaders, preparing leaders for deeper learning, and the California School Leadership Academy. Equitable Resources and Access. LPI partnered with the National Conference of State Legislatures to support adequate and equitable state school finance reform. LPI also published briefs on the progress of English Learners in California and the costs of universal school vouchers. Whole Child Education. LPI authored a comprehensive guide on redesigning high schools and a framework for creating community schools as part of a new Center for School and System Redesign. LPI also published a report on how community schools can reduce chronic absenteeism and a series of analyses of statewide efforts to support community schools in New Mexico.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 82% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 94% 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 reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 91
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 94
- Sustainability: 29
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 83.8%; rating input score 84
- Fundraising efficiency: $26.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 71.2%; rating input score 71; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 90%; rating input score 90; 22nd 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: -56.9%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.17; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11.1%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 23.2% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 83.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 10 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $13.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $576K · 14 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $604K reported
- Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 9 filing years from 2015 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 12 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 7 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.
- 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.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.