Big Shoulders Fund
Big Shoulders Fund reported $53.2 million in revenue and $54.9 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $94.13 went to program services, $3.40 to management and general costs and $2.47 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 80.0% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $638,467 (President and Chief Executive Officer). 20 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 67% 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 $55MFor 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 $53MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 94.1% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 3.4% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.5% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.03 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 80.0% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 1.3% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.2% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $638,467 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.16% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 20 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 28.3 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 32 of 32 | 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 expenseSchool operations: DISTRIBUTED OPERATING AND CAPITAL GRANTS TO MULTIPLE SCHOOLS IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT SCHOOL CLOSURES; ALSO ASSISTED SCHOOLS IN IMPROVING MARKETING/RECRUITING, BUILDING NEW EXTERNAL FUNDING SOURCES, IMPROVING SCHOOL BUSINESS OPERATIONS, ETC
Student Scholarship Programs: ADMINISTERED OVER90 DISTINCT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS THAT INCLUDE MENTORING, ENRICHMENT AND OTHER SUPPORT ACTIVITIES. 5,267 SCHOLARSHIPS WERE AWARDED TO 5,080 STUDENTS AT 120 ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOLS TO ENABLE THEM TO ATTEND NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Academic Enrichment and Leadership Development: BIG SHOULDERS ADMINISTERS OVER 25 ONGOING PROGRAMS IN 90 SCHOOLS INVOLVING OVER 800 TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING THROUGH LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY CURRICULA WITH FOCUS ON MATH, SCIENCE, CIVICS, AND LITERACY. PROVIDE A VARIETY OF OTHER NEEDED CAPITAL AND PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT TO ENSURE A SAFE, EFFECTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR NEARLY 25,000 STUDENTS THROUGH ONGOING ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS INCLUDING A SCIENCE AND LEADERSHIP CAMP, AFTERSCHOOL…
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 and Chief Executive Officer Officer, 50.0 hrs/week | $585,588 | $0 | $52,879 | $638,467 |
| Chief Schools Officer Key employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $292,828 | $0 | $54,427 | $347,255 |
| Chief Financial Officer Officer, 50.0 hrs/week | $254,776 | $0 | $41,651 | $296,427 |
| Senior Director, Scholarships Key employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $191,377 | $0 | $39,202 | $230,579 |
| Chief Advancement & Development Officer Key employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $204,800 | $0 | $21,844 | $226,644 |
| Managing Director, Plus Schools and Leadership Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $171,161 | $0 | $37,991 | $209,152 |
| Managing Director, NWI Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $166,775 | $0 | $28,287 | $195,062 |
| Senior Director, People and Leadership Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $159,145 | $0 | $30,424 | $189,569 |
20 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Big Shoulders Fund (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.8M (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- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b32 · 32 independent
- 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 2Yes
- 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 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5114
- Volunteers Part I, line 63,457
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| UChicago STEM Education Prof development for schools | $348,338 |
| Ziemke Consulting LLC Prof development for schools | $295,701 |
| NQC Literacy LLC Prof development for schools | $286,702 |
| Kirk Ziemke Prof development for schools | $217,847 |
| University of Illinois - Chicago Prof development for schools | $193,361 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 7 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
98 private foundations reported grants to Big Shoulders Fund totaling $9.5M 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 Big Shoulders Fund's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Big Shoulders Fund, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Big Shoulders Fund spent in FY2025, $94.13 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Miss Porter's SchoolFarmington, CT · revenue $53M · programs 72.0% · FY2025
- Avon Old Farms SchoolAvon, CT · revenue $53M · programs 78.0% · FY2025
- Brooks SchoolNorth Andover, MA · revenue $53M · programs 77.7% · FY2025
- Desert Sands Public CharterValencia, CA · revenue $53M · programs 91.2% · FY2025
- The Episcopal School of DallasDallas, TX · revenue $53M · programs 78.2% · FY2025
Questions people ask
How much of Big Shoulders Fund's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Big Shoulders Fund reported that 94.1% of its $54.9 million in expenses went to program services, 3.4% to management and general and 2.5% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Big Shoulders Fund pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Big Shoulders Fund reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $638,467, for the role of President and Chief Executive Officer (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Big Shoulders Fund get its money?
Of $53.2 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 80.0% came from contributions and grants (including 1.3% from government grants) and 0.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Big Shoulders Fund a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 36-3490557 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), 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 202620239349300307 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202520499349301717 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202420599349301512 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202320179349301547 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202210559349300046 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202100569349302105 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 36-3490557: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.