Ascendium Education Solutions
Ascendium Education Solutions reported $186.0 million in revenue and $196.7 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $94.43 went to program services, $5.57 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: 95.5% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $884,194 (CHAIRMAN/TREASURER). 30 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 64% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $197MFor 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
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $186MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 94.4% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 5.6% | 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 | Not reported | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 95.5% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $884,194 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.45% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 30 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 12.2 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 8 of 9 | 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
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseAscendium Education Solutions, inc. Operates to provide cost effective enablement of access to and success in post-secondary education by providing full-range guaranty agency services to educational institutions and others in pursuit of and participation in post-secondary education in accordance with the federal higher education act of 1965, as amended
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
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
Highest reported compensation
2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAIRMAN/TREASURER Director/trustee, 17.0 hrs/week | $0 | $809,115 | $75,079 | $884,194 |
| PRESIDENT & CEO - AES Officer, 45.0 hrs/week | $572,573 | $0 | $51,374 | $623,947 |
| CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Officer, 23.0 hrs/week | $0 | $462,554 | $62,571 | $525,125 |
| VP - REPAYMENT SOLUTIONS Officer, 45.0 hrs/week | $332,700 | $0 | $25,105 | $357,805 |
| SYSTEMS ANALYST Highest compensated employee, 45.0 hrs/week | $185,045 | $0 | $31,786 | $216,831 |
| VP - GUARANTY SUPPORT SVCS Officer, 45.0 hrs/week | $162,140 | $0 | $50,101 | $212,241 |
| DIRECTOR - RECOVERY ADMIN Highest compensated employee, 45.0 hrs/week | $156,316 | $0 | $46,516 | $202,832 |
| DIR - CLAIMS REVIEW Highest compensated employee, 45.0 hrs/week | $168,721 | $0 | $33,299 | $202,020 |
30 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Ascendium Education Solutions (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.7M (Part IX, line 5).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · 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–1b9 · 8 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 15aNo
- 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 4No
- 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 5162
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Ascendium Education Solutions's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Ascendium Education Solutions, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Ascendium Education Solutions spent in 2025, $94.43 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
Questions people ask
How much of Ascendium Education Solutions's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Ascendium Education Solutions reported that 94.4% of its $196.7 million in expenses went to program services, 5.6% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Ascendium Education Solutions pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Ascendium Education Solutions reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $884,194, for the role of CHAIRMAN/TREASURER (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Ascendium Education Solutions get its money?
Of $186.0 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 0.0% came from contributions and grants and 95.5% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Ascendium Education Solutions a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 39-1853833 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, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202642609349301869 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202522979349302117 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202432769349300608 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202332429349301403 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202202439349301680 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202132429349300648 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202032459349300123 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 39-1853833: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.