Center For Creative Leadership is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Greensboro, North Carolina, registered in 1970, with $133,624,740 in FY2024 revenue. CharityIndex grades it C, and it directs about 88% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2024)
$133.6M
▼ 2.4% vs prior year
Education median: $200K
Expenses (FY2024)
$136.2M
Net assets
$80.8M
Employees
540
Rated on 4 of 4 criteria.
Held down by its weakest criterion — a strong score on one criterion can't hide a weak one.
How the rating works →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 Center For Creative Leadership: 88% to programs · $334 to raise $100 earns a F on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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 Center For Creative Leadership: 7 mo reserves · -2% margin earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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 Center For Creative Leadership: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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 Center For Creative Leadership: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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To advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. the center conducts research, produces publications and provides a broad variety of educational programs to leaders and organizations in the public, corporate and nonprofit sectors.
Leadership development program (ldp): ldp is center for creative leadership's ("ccl") flagship executive education program and is attended by more executives worldwide than any similar type program. participants of the program tend to be middle to senior level executives from the private, military, education, and nonprofit sectors. the program gives participants the option of live-online or on-site instruction surrounded by intense pre and post work assignments. the primary objective of the program is to assist the participant in increasing his or her leadership capacity through a feedback intensive learning experience and hands-on activities. during the fiscal year ended march 31, 2025, 986 participants attended the ldp program.
Leading for organizational impact (loi): loi is one of the center for creative leadership's premier executive education programs, designed specifically for senior leaders responsible for business units, divisions, or organizational functions. the program equips participants to balance short-term tactical demands with long-term strategic priorities, enhancing their ability to lead across boundaries and shape enterprise-wide outcomes. through immersive learning experiences in a dynamic, peer-based learning environment, leaders leave the program with the skills and support necessary to be more strategically effective within their organizations. during the fiscal year ended march 31, 2025, 472 participants attended the loi program.
Other program services. in addition to the programs previousy listed, ccl also offers numerous additional face to face and virtual educational programs to the public, private and nonprofit sectors. ccl strives to make our programs available to all sectors of society. each year, ccl identifies segments of the population who do not have the resources to afford ccl programs without some financial assistance. those audiences are generally individuals from the nonprofit or education sectors, youth or individuals from disadvantaged regions and developing countries. ccl then provides financial assistance to these audiences through scholarships, third-party funding or below market priced fees.
Revenue grew from $101.6M (FY2013) to $133.6M (FY2024) across 12 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
-1.9%
Spent more than it raised in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$132.5M
Total liabilities
$51.6M
Net assets
$80.8M
Salaries & benefits
$78.1M
57% of expenses
Board members
18
17 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $133,624,740▼2.4% | $136,229,532 | $80,827,379▼8.0% | $132,474,360▼8.3% | 990 |
| 2023 | $136,892,424▲10.8% | $136,255,287▲10.3% | $87,860,844▲20.5% | $144,535,508▲9.4% | 990 |
| 2022 | $123,518,426▲15.8% | $123,486,640▲20.6% | $72,914,291▼7.2% | $132,081,170▲4.3% | 990 |
| 2021 | $106,677,829▲91.1% | $102,376,094▲21.6% | $78,583,899▲5.2% | $126,686,166▲16.4% | 990 |
| 2020 | $55,820,010▼52.5% | $84,207,964▼34.5% | $74,722,367▼22.8% | $108,842,527▼15.7% | 990 |
| 2019 | $117,498,189▼3.4% | $128,604,214▲4.9% | $96,836,438▼16.6% | $129,126,374▼14.7% | 990 |
| 2018 | $121,683,260▲10.0% | $122,646,166▲8.2% | $116,150,287▼3.9% | $151,418,061▼1.4% | 990 |
| 2017 | $110,579,233▼6.2% | $113,310,724▲9.0% | $120,802,716▼2.0% | $153,567,029▲1.5% | 990 |
| 2016 | $117,941,943▲13.7% | $103,973,119▲4.2% | $123,210,749▲27.8% | $151,366,313▲22.8% | 990 |
| 2015 | $103,754,347▼1.6% | $99,777,730▼0.7% | $96,399,488▼4.0% | $123,259,640▼2.8% | 990 |
| 2014 | $105,483,812▲3.9% | $100,525,764▲1.2% | $100,445,731▼0.5% | $126,793,466 | 990 |
| 2013 | $101,550,441 | $99,361,703▼1.1% | $100,964,592▲0.9% | $126,806,046▼2.7% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $100,445,797▲10.5% | $100,054,379▲2.2% | $130,276,169▲4.0% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $90,911,773▲27.7% | $97,938,603▲3.1% | $125,249,441▲6.0% | 990 |
| 2009 | — | $71,172,033 | $94,988,106 | $118,140,205 | 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.
Highest-paid: Martin S Schneider — $717,353 (0.53% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin S Schneider | President & Ceo | 40 | $717,353 |
| Anne L Credi | Strategic Business Partner | 40 | $461,430 |
| David G Altman | Executive Advisor | 40 | $436,610 |
| Renee D Hultin | Chief Operating Officer | 40 | $378,717 |
| Bradley E Shumaker | Evp, Cfo, Treasurer | 40 | $375,432 |
| Catherine F Kernels | Strategic Business Partner | 40 | $357,292 |
| Lynn Fick-cooper | Vice President Social Markets | 40 | $293,242 |
| Shaurav Sen | Vp-partnerships & Innovations | 40 | $275,164 |
| Stephanie Haynes | Strategic Business Partner | 40 | $275,086 |
| Charlotte F Francis | Chief Information Officer | 40 | $268,888 |
| Deirdre Robinson | Chief Hr Officer (thru 9/19/2024) | 40 | $263,891 |
| Sarah Nabors | Chief Marketing Officer | 40 | $240,704 |
| Jeffrey P Howard | Vp-portfolio & Leadership | 40 | $235,899 |
| Lisa M Cavanaugh | Chief Strategy Officer | 40 | $231,498 |
| Sean Carroll | Reginal Sales Director, Ea | 40 | $231,433 |
| Paul Jones | Vp Global Client Deliver | 40 | $230,140 |
| Shahla Akbari | Vp, Global Client Ops. | 40 | $222,084 |
| Stacey Thomas | Regional Sales Director | 40 | $221,485 |
| Stephen Martin | Chief of Staff & Secretary | 40 | $206,461 |
| David Moore | Asst. Treasurer & Asst Sec | 40 | $204,110 |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Upwork Global | Software Consultant | $2,044,939 |
| Buildempire Ltd | Software Consultant | $1,271,309 |
| Sunrise Technologies | Software Consultant | $575,917 |
| Data Solutions Inc | Software Consultant | $562,236 |
| Insight Global | Software Consultant | $555,398 |
16 grants to Center For Creative Leadership totaling $13.2M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
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Data for Center For Creative Leadership (EIN 23-7079591) 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.