System for Education Empowerment and Success

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
262955047
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2020, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Houston, TX, USA
Phone
8325378249
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Humanities Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$321,855
Expenses
$264,836
Assets
$143,596
Liabilities
$213,587

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Luis Angel Garcia-Alvarez (President)
  • Angelica Elizondo-Guzman (Treasurer / Vice-President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Luis Angel Garcia-Alvarez (President): $41,250 total reported compensation
  • Angelica Elizondo-Guzman (Treasurer / Vice-President): $27,192 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

SEDES enriches the lives of youths and adults through education.

What it reported doing in 2025

During 2025, SEDES served 2,187 individuals across five educational programs designed to remove economic, linguistic, and systemic barriers to opportunity for underserved adult populations in the Houston metropolitan area. Programs delivered include: English as a Second Language (ESL): 951 individuals served, equipping participants with English language skills essential for workforce participation and daily life integration. GED Preparation: 832 individuals served, supporting adults in earning their high school equivalency credential and expanding employment and higher education opportunities. Basic Electrical Training: 61 individuals served, providing vocational workforce skills aligned with Houston's high-demand trades sector. Financial Literacy: 237 individuals served, building household financial management skills and pathways to economic stability. Citizenship Education: 106 individuals served, preparing immigrant community members for the U.S. naturalization process and civic participation. Collectively, SEDES programs generated measurable community impact by advancing educational attainment, workforce readiness, and civic integration among one of Houston's most underserved populations.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue has grown recently. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and a relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 31
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.4%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 71.1%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.14 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 17.7%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.54; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.49; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 25.8%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -6.2% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 21.9% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.4% of revenue deployed · 71.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $188K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $41K · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.