Ascendium Education Solutions Inc
92% goes to programs Strong reserves Declining revenue
Ascendium Education Solutions Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, registered in 1997, with $266,994,248 in FY2024 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 92% of spending to programs.
38 Buttonwood Ct, Madison, WI, 53718 EIN 39-1853833 Since 1997
Revenue (FY2024)
$267.0M
▼ 10.5% vs prior year
Education median: $200K
Expenses (FY2024)
$169.3M
Net assets
$210.4M
Employees
163
CharityIndex rating
One independent A+ to F grade from four published criteria, each scored separately from IRS filings and combined by weight.
A
AProgram efficiency40% of the rating92% to programs
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For Ascendium Education Solutions Inc: 92% to programs earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
AFinancial health25% of the rating15 mo reserves · +37% margin
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For Ascendium Education Solutions Inc: 15 mo reserves · +37% margin earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Governance25% of the rating6 of 6 checks met
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For Ascendium Education Solutions Inc: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Transparency10% of the rating5 of 5 disclosure signals
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For Ascendium Education Solutions Inc: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Mission
Supports increased access to and success in post-secondary education as a national grantmaker, a federal student loan guaranty agency and a provider of student success services.
What they do
Impact investing is one of the key ways we accomplish our mission to champion opportunity for everyone. our investments advance change to postsecondary education and workforce training systems through new technologies and solutions so more learners can achieve their academic and career goals through education related venture equity and debt investments.
Ascendium education solutions, inc. provides philanthropic support for local communities - where its employees live and work, primarily concentrated in madison, wisconsin. this support includes education-focused community giving, an employee giving program, and financial and personnel support for community services that align with our education focus. community giving efforts focus on supporting local community service organizations and post secondary institutions. the ascendium cares program features an annual employee charity fundraising drive, a volunteer time-off program, and financial matching for time and funds donated to eligible nonprofits. other services include free training and meeting space support for local nonprofits.
Ascendium's education philanthropy focuses on increasing opportunity for upward economic mobility for learners from low-income backgrounds through high-quality postsecondary education and workforce training. grantmaking and related activities support innovation, evaluation and evidence-building, and scaling solutions that are proven to help more learners achieve strong career outcomes. ascendium also maintains philanthropic initiatives focused on the success of learners who experience greater barriers to upward mobility, including rural learners and those experiencing incarceration.
Contact & location
- Address
- 38 Buttonwood Ct, Madison, WI, 53718
- City
- Madison
- State
- Wisconsin
- Category
- Education
- Subcategory
- Student Services & Aid
- Phone
- …
- Website
- …
Financial trends
Revenue held steady from $263.3M (FY2013) to $267.0M (FY2024) across 12 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Financial health & position (FY2024)
Liabilities $12.2MNet assets $210.4M
Operating margin
36.6%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$222.6M
Total liabilities
$12.2M
Net assets
$210.4M
Salaries & benefits
$16.2M
10% of expenses
Board members
9
8 independent
Financials by year
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $266,994,248▼10.5% | $169,298,500▲41.7% | $210,396,341▼34.8% | $222,593,303▼36.7% | 990 |
| 2023 | $298,192,646▼23.3% | $119,504,517▼28.3% | $322,562,334▲32.3% | $351,464,064▲21.3% | 990 |
| 2022 | $388,928,491▼16.8% | $166,575,071▼18.7% | $243,797,519▲266% | $289,805,860▲69.6% | 990 |
| 2021 | $467,309,203▲9.4% | $204,796,432▼34.6% | $66,679,290▼36.0% | $170,907,364▼40.7% | 990 |
| 2020 | $427,280,088▼16.4% | $313,241,055▼1.9% | $104,176,375▲160% | $288,144,309▲1.2% | 990 |
| 2019 | $511,268,683▲129% | $319,237,947▲141% | $40,113,612▼93.5% | $284,705,811▼57.1% | 990 |
| 2018 | $222,804,138▼1.0% | $132,565,215▲2.1% | $621,004,994▼1.4% | $663,920,334▼1.0% | 990 |
| 2017 | $225,080,925▼4.0% | $129,869,653▼3.2% | $629,778,324▲17.5% | $670,290,906▲17.3% | 990 |
| 2016 | $234,388,567▲18.0% | $134,141,485▲27.8% | $536,070,130▼15.8% | $571,437,193▼14.8% | 990 |
| 2015 | $198,669,809▲9.0% | $104,970,544▲27.6% | $636,469,482▲17.2% | $670,326,984▲16.3% | 990 |
| 2014 | $182,241,126▼30.8% | $82,253,711▼8.7% | $543,221,774▲22.6% | $576,295,637▲20.9% | 990 |
| 2013 | $263,285,914 | $90,073,523▲7.5% | $443,217,849▲64.1% | $476,849,055▲54.5% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $83,782,276▲21.2% | $270,151,145▲47.3% | $308,567,435▲42.1% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $69,127,108▼35.9% | $183,404,902▲82.3% | $217,192,353▲64.6% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $107,769,472 | $100,619,498 | $131,989,544 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Leadership & compensation (FY2024)
Highest-paid: Jeffery E Crosby - 3 — $567,962 (0.34% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffery E Crosby - 3 | President & Ceo - Aes | 30 | $567,962 |
| Beth A Erickson - 3 | Vp - Repayment Solutions | 45 | $326,486 |
| Jacqueline J Fairbairn - 3 | Vp - Pol & Reg Compliance | 44 | $326,146 |
| Jeffrey S Dick - 3 | Systems Analyst | 45 | $180,667 |
| Barbara A Wilhelm - 3 | Director - Claims Review | 45 | $165,570 |
| Caralyn A Hansen - 3 | Attigo Sr Mktg Strategist | 45 | $162,474 |
| Carmen N Rieg - 3 | Director - Recovery Admin | 45 | $152,780 |
| Roger A Eldridge - 3 | National Sales Director | 45 | $149,464 |
| Cynthia Walsh - 1 | Director | 3 | $46,000 |
| Scott Klug - 1 | Director | 1 | $27,500 |
| Darren King - 1 | Director | 1 | $23,000 |
| David J Hanson - 1 | Director | 1 | $23,000 |
| Leslie Lenzo - 1 | Director | 1 | $23,000 |
| Maria Gonzalez-knavel - 1 | Director | 1 | $23,000 |
| Richard A Weiss - 1 | Director - Secretary | 1 | $23,000 |
| Emerson Brumback - 1 | Director - Vice Chairman | 1 | $18,500 |
| Brett G Lindquist - 3 | Vp - Strategic Communications | 39 | — |
| Eric C Maly - 3 | Vp - Info Security and Tech | 33 | — |
| Hope E Merry - 3 | Chief Financial Officer | 23 | — |
| Matthew R Harlowe - 3 | Director - Internal Audit | 2 | — |
Top vendors & contractors (FY2024)
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Covington & Burling LLP | Legal Services | $322,706 |
| Evaluation and Assessment Solutions For Education | Evaluation and Assessment Solutions For Education LLC | $160,800 |
| Senior Class Project LLC | Documentary | $150,000 |
| Yourcause Holding LLC | Software Provider | $129,754 |
Grants received · $61.1M total
1 grant to Ascendium Education Solutions Inc totaling $61.1M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascendium Education Group Inc | Fund ascendium education solution, inc. grant program | 2022 | $61,144,777 |
Grants made · $117.5M in FY2024
287 grants totaling $117.5M in FY2024 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by Ascendium Education Solutions Inc →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Merit America | Grant, scaling it support and data analytics certificate programming for learners from low-income grant, accelerating workforce training pathways via merit america's opportunity fund | $7,560,000 |
| Mdrc | Grant, strengthen and scale multiple measures assessment implementation grant, examining faculty decision-making in course equivalency and transfer grant, learning partner for future sectoral training evidence-building initiative grant, travel grant - national institute for the study of transfer students grant, sectoral training evidence-building initiative grant, building & applying strong evidence about postsecondary success & economic mobility | $7,363,369 |
| Teachers College Columbia University | Grant, paving the way to equitable, adequate and effective community college funding grant, expanding and sharing the evidence base of key student success reforms grant, supporting national reporting on postsecondary education and workforce training | $3,557,052 |
| Louisiana Board of Regents | Grant, supporting national reporting on postsecondary education and workforce training | $3,325,000 |
| American Institutes For Research In the Behavioral Sciences | Grant, assessing quality and equitable access and outcomes of distance postsecondary courses for the incarcerated grant, rural research support partner grant, advancing postsecondary competency-based education pathways via next-generation outcomes research & data grant, identifying and scaling programmatic technical assistance in postsecondary education in prison programs | $3,274,500 |
| Blue Meridian Partners Inc | Grant, blue meridian partners impact investment | $3,000,000 |
| Achieving the Dream Inc | Grant, redesigning pathways for adult college and career success grant, project success formative and summative assessment grant, project success 2024-2025 grant, travel grant - rural summit grant, exploring shortened academic terms dream 2024 registrations (4), scholar patron & community forum sponsorships, february 19-22, 2024 sponsorship & registration - dream 2025 (6), 2/18-2/21/25 sponsorship & registration - redesign for results 2024 (10), 10/11/24 sponsorship & registration - equity and justice institute 2024 (3), 5/1-5/2/24 | $2,846,040 |
| New Venture Fund | Grant, ncii impact fund - rural guided pathways grant, scaling the leadership academy for student success grant, expanding rural guided pathways | $2,682,500 |
| Social Finance Inc | Grant, exploring innovative financing to strengthen pre-apprenticeships, creating rural talent finance partnerships, and establishing the social finance institute | $2,503,500 |
| Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Inc | Grant, coalition-led career pathway initiative framework for apprenticeship expansion in wisconsin | $2,500,000 |
| State of Ohio | Grant, ohio strong start in science (ohiosss) | $2,392,500 |
| Vera Institute of Justice Inc | Grant, travel grant - higher education in prison grantee convening grant, closing the pell implementation gap grant, travel grant - national association of student financial aid administrators 2024 national conference grant, helping the field prepare for pell reinstatement | $2,372,898 |
| The Aspen Institute Inc | Grant, advancing community college students' post-graduation success grant, aspen prize, higher education board reform, and increasing focus on college leadership | $2,364,100 |
| Jobs For the Future Inc | Horizons 2024 sponsorship 7/22/24 - 7/23/24 grant, supporting career pathways for low-income rural immigrants, migrants and refugees grant, travel grant - rural summit grant, fair chance to advance: transforming systems & building pathways from corrections to quality jobs grant, launching postsecondary state impact projects grant, travel grant - higher education in prison grantee convening -al grant, connecting the workforce ecosystem through the horizons platform grant, ready for pell | $2,294,402 |
| Texas Community College Education Initiative | Grant, talent strong texas pathways for multilingual learners of english grant, talent strong texas pathways: student supports and belonging hb8 implementation | $2,118,700 |
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Frequently asked questions
- Is Ascendium Education Solutions Inc a legitimate nonprofit?
- Yes. Ascendium Education Solutions Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization registered with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service under EIN 39-1853833, based in Madison, Wisconsin. Donations are tax-deductible.
- What is Ascendium Education Solutions Inc's EIN?
- Ascendium Education Solutions Inc's Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 39-1853833.
- How much revenue does Ascendium Education Solutions Inc report?
- Ascendium Education Solutions Inc reported $266,994,248 in total revenue on its fiscal year 2024 IRS Form 990 filing.
- How much of Ascendium Education Solutions Inc's spending goes to programs?
- Ascendium Education Solutions Inc spends about 92% of its total expenses on programs, based on its latest IRS Form 990.
- What financial grade does Ascendium Education Solutions Inc have?
- CharityIndex grades Ascendium Education Solutions Inc A, based on program efficiency and fundraising cost.
- How much does Ascendium Education Solutions Inc's highest-paid employee make?
- The highest reported compensation on Ascendium Education Solutions Inc's latest Form 990 is $567,962, paid to Jeffery E Crosby - 3 (President & Ceo - Aes).
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Data for Ascendium Education Solutions Inc (EIN 39-1853833) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.