Challenger School Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Sandy, Utah, registered in 2014, with $209,931,404 in FY2024 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 87% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2024)
$209.9M
▲ 9.3% vs prior year
Education median: $200K
Expenses (FY2024)
$148.9M
Net assets
$665.9M
Employees
1,661
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 Challenger School Foundation: 87% to programs · $0 to raise $100 earns a A 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 Challenger School Foundation: 54 mo reserves · +29% 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 Challenger School Foundation: 5 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 Challenger School Foundation: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Promote the educational objectives of challenger school foundation by operating schools for preschool through eighth grade.
During the 2024-2025 school year, challenger educated approximately 5,179 students in its kindergarten and elementary school programs. on the most recent iowa assessments, challenger's average kindergartener outscored 98 of 100 test takers at his/her grade level, with similar results for students in grades 1 through 5.
During the 2024-2025 school year, challenger educated approximately 1,059 students in its middle school grades. on the most recent iowa assessments, challenger's average eighth grader outscored 99 of 100 test takers at his/her grade level, with similar results for students in grades 6 and 7.
Challenger is committed to providing its students with a superior education. the organization currently has 27 schools throughout california, utah, idaho, nevada, and texas. each location provides an excellent learning environment which includes daily meals and snacks. many challenger locations offer an enrichment program for students who need to stay before or after regular school hours. this program offers various extracurricular classes such as soccer and other outdoor activities, music, dance, specialized art, chess, robotics, and foreign language.
Revenue grew from $109.8M (FY2013) to $209.9M (FY2024) across 12 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
29.1%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$806.5M
Total liabilities
$140.6M
Net assets
$665.9M
Salaries & benefits
$101.8M
68% of expenses
Board members
7
1 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $209,931,404▲9.3% | $148,923,765▲9.0% | $665,880,425▲12.1% | $806,488,287▲14.4% | 990 |
| 2023 | $192,136,005▲6.4% | $136,675,852▲9.7% | $594,102,486▲12.8% | $704,958,051▲9.0% | 990 |
| 2022 | $180,543,486▲13.8% | $124,588,645▲14.7% | $526,848,713▲12.5% | $646,949,704▲32.5% | 990 |
| 2021 | $158,595,175▲44.2% | $108,612,306▲9.1% | $468,103,878▲8.0% | $488,200,249▲6.7% | 990 |
| 2020 | $109,988,132▲1.6% | $99,572,403▲4.2% | $433,337,785▲4.8% | $457,593,721▲5.7% | 990 |
| 2019 | $108,261,101▼12.6% | $95,513,831▲9.1% | $413,630,169▲4.6% | $432,891,821▲2.8% | 990 |
| 2018 | $123,825,555▲6.2% | $87,585,204▲4.0% | $395,429,947▲10.7% | $420,936,462▲10.9% | 990 |
| 2017 | $116,649,220▲1.8% | $84,235,219▲1.4% | $357,221,206▲10.1% | $379,403,053▲8.6% | 990 |
| 2016 | $114,588,874▲3.4% | $83,051,279▲3.4% | $324,404,832▲12.1% | $349,506,844▲11.7% | 990 |
| 2015 | $110,781,325▼54.7% | $80,354,420▼7.5% | $289,362,076▲12.9% | $313,016,982▲11.6% | 990 |
| 2014 | $244,777,369▲123% | $86,881,525▼0.1% | $256,209,669▲153% | $280,457,306▲126% | 990 |
| 2013 | $109,829,595 | $86,999,290 | $101,305,906 | $124,298,200 | 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: Hugh Gourgeon — $443,970 (0.30% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Gourgeon | President | 40 | $443,970 |
| Tatiana Harper | Dir School O | 40 | $431,918 |
| Matthew Cooper | Vp & Secreta | 40 | $411,199 |
| Craig Buccellato | Exec Region | 40 | $316,161 |
| Richard Bobowski | Director | 40 | $284,234 |
| Dave Walton | Director | 40 | $282,845 |
| Dave Mounteer | Exec Region | 40 | $279,770 |
| Aaron Schiffner | Exec Region | 40 | $270,002 |
| Ryan Baker | Director | 40 | $269,633 |
| Lynnette S Hansmann | Dir of Publi | 40 | $244,331 |
| Collin R Payne | Operation Pr | 40 | $242,660 |
| Joshua Rippon | Systems Anal | 40 | $233,352 |
| Layne Young | Treasurer | 40 | $214,713 |
| Kayleen Wilson | Director | 40 | $164,584 |
| Hal Anderson | Director | 5 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Pinkerton | Security | $2,633,103 |
| Janitorial Express | Janitorial | $633,869 |
| Dlp Services | Janitorial | $442,081 |
| Jurassic Janitorial | Janitorial | $279,009 |
| Vp Security Services | Security | $236,936 |
6 grants to Challenger School Foundation totaling $77K, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| University Impact | To support organization | 2024 | $36,279 |
| Tulsa Community Foundation | Scholarships | 2023 | $10,000 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2020 | $10,329 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2020 | $10,329 |
| Tulsa Community Foundation | Scholarships | 2020 | $5,000 |
| Tulsa Community Foundation | Scholarship | 2015 | $5,000 |
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Data for Challenger School Foundation (EIN 47-1405971) 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.