Zearn
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 371665745
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Claymont, DE, USA
- Phone
- 2129676070
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Nonmonetary Support N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $48,442,804
- Expenses
- $38,634,245
- Assets
- $84,513,127
- Liabilities
- $8,834,843
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SHALINEE SHARMA (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER &)
Highest reported compensation
- SHALINEE SHARMA (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER &): $793,026 total reported compensation
- ASHLEY BIRSIC (CHIEF PARTNERSHIPS OFFICER): $619,887 total reported compensation
- LEIGHA DONOVAN (CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER): $618,987 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Zearn is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization behind zearn math, the top-rated math learning platform rated "strong" (tier 1) by evidence for essa. Zearn math is used by 1 in 4 elementary-school students and more than 1 million middle-school students nationwide. Everything we do is driven by the belief that every kid is a math kid.
What it reported doing in 2024
Zearn math is an online learning program rated "strong" (tier 1) by evidence for essa that provides digital math lessons for every concept of k-8 math.as a nonprofit, zearn is motivated by impact, not dollars, which is why all 500+ hours of interactive digital lessons are free to all kids, teachers, and families. Zearn also supports states, districts and schools including public, private, charter, religious and home schools to drive programmatic adoption.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 74% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 69
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.1%; rating input score 64
- Program expense ratio: 85.9%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: $36.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 17th 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: 20.2%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.19; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 9.8%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 21.5% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 22.2% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 24.4% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 64.1% of revenue deployed · 85.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $33.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $793K · 17 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $694K reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 6 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 — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.