Cognia
Cognia reported $140.4 million in revenue and $126.2 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $84.53 went to program services, $15.47 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 95.2% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $1,302,785 (President/CEO). 18 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 16% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $126MFor context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $140MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 84.5% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 15.5% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.00 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 0.5% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 95.2% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $1,302,785 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.03% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 18 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 5.1 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | Not reported | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseCognia, Inc. develops and applies research-based accreditation and school improvement standards, processes, procedures, expertise, and tools that cross state, regional, and international boundaries to effect continuous school improvement through ongoing external checks, support, and feedback. It currently serves as a trusted partner to nearly 36,000 schools and school systems-employing more than five million educators and enrolling over 20 million students-across the United States and 84 other countries
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President/CEO Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $1,302,785 | $0 | $0 | $1,302,785 |
| Chief Legal Officer Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $479,930 | $0 | $0 | $479,930 |
| Chief Marketing Officer Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $330,736 | $0 | $0 | $330,736 |
| Chief Financial Officer Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $328,179 | $0 | $0 | $328,179 |
| Chief Technology Officer Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $320,689 | $0 | $0 | $320,689 |
| Chief Administrative Officer Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $305,620 | $0 | $0 | $305,620 |
| Deputy Chief Accred Officer Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $276,328 | $0 | $0 | $276,328 |
| Senior VP Policy & Advocacy Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $249,129 | $0 | $0 | $249,129 |
18 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Cognia (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $5.2M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5521
Private foundation grants it received
1 private foundation reported grants to Cognia totaling $75,000 on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Cognia's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Cognia, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Cognia spent in FY2025, $84.53 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Culver Educational FoundationCulver, IN · revenue $140M · programs 82.7% · FY2025
- Mississippi CollegeClinton, MS · revenue $140M · programs 88.0% · FY2025
- Nazareth UniversityRochester, NY · revenue $140M · programs 90.1% · FY2025
- Augustana University AssociationSioux Falls, SD · revenue $141M · programs 90.3% · FY2025
- Greenwich Country Day SchoolGreenwich, CT · revenue $140M · programs 76.6% · FY2025
Questions people ask
How much of Cognia's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Cognia reported that 84.5% of its $126.2 million in expenses went to program services, 15.5% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Cognia pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Cognia reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $1,302,785, for the role of President/CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Cognia get its money?
Of $140.4 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 0.5% came from contributions and grants (including 0.0% from government grants) and 95.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Cognia a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 20-8613765 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202611359349316661 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202541399349301114 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202441369349312729 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202341359349313939 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202241369349304669 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202121379349303507 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 20-8613765: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.