American Council on Education
American Council on Education reported $34.3 million in revenue and $41.3 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $62.82 went to program services, $34.18 to management and general costs and $3.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 54.1% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $1,031,089 (PRESIDENT, EX OFFICIO). 62 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 1% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $41MFor 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 September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $34MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 62.8% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 34.2% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 3.0% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.21 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 17.6% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 54.1% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $1,031,089 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.49% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 62 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 20.7 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 29 of 29 | 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 expenseAdult learning and educational credentialsthe American Council on education (ace) administers a national program that evaluates, validates, and documents college-level learning gained through military training, occupational experience, employer-based instruction, and other nontraditional learning environments. Through faculty-led review processes, ace develops academically sound credit recommendations and benchmarks industry competencies that assist learners in applying verified learning toward accredited postsecondary credentials. The program maintains publicly accessible resources that help…
Carnegie classificationfor the last 50 years, the carnegie classifications of institutions of higher education have been the gold standard for organizing colleges and universities by a variety of characteristics, and they are used by researchers around the world to study the higher education sector in america. Ace began a collaboration with the carnegie foundation in february 2022 to redesign the carnegie classifications so they better reflect the diverse set of institutions and missions in higher education today and to establish new classifications, including ones that are centered on…
Government relations & public affairsace's division of government relations and national engagement (grne) coordinates the efforts of the higher education community in representing its concerns to the federal government. Staff members, engage with federal policy makers on proposed federal legislation and regulations, prepare testimony for congressional hearings and file amicus curiae briefs on court cases with important implications for higher education, and create shared advocacy materials among other activities. For federal government policy makers, the division acts as the central source…
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, EX OFFICIO Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $881,160 | $0 | $149,929 | $1,031,089 |
| ASST VP, GOVT RELATIONS (TO 8/2024) Highest compensated employee, 35.00 hrs/week | $519,838 | $0 | $36,721 | $556,559 |
| GENERAL COUNSEL Highest compensated employee, 35.00 hrs/week | $358,088 | $0 | $82,426 | $440,514 |
| SVP, ED FUTURES (TO 5/2025) Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $343,492 | $0 | $53,198 | $396,690 |
| EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $297,964 | $0 | $94,664 | $392,628 |
| EXEC. DIR., CCS Highest compensated employee, 35.00 hrs/week | $308,275 | $0 | $64,160 | $372,435 |
| SVP, CAO Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $294,477 | $0 | $63,047 | $357,524 |
| SVP, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $328,170 | $0 | $28,426 | $356,596 |
62 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from American Council on Education (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.7M (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–1b29 · 29 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 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 5163
- Volunteers Part I, line 640
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| FRONTRUNNER COLLABORATIONS LLC Consulting | $178,600 |
| ERNST & YOUNG LLP Consulting | $162,500 |
| WIPFLI LLP It consulting | $153,900 |
| ARENTFOX SCHIFF LLP Legal services | $151,728 |
| DELOITTE CONSULTING LLP Consulting | $140,000 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 7 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
7 private foundations reported grants to American Council on Education totaling $6.7M 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 American Council on Education's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for American Council on Education, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 American Council on Education spent in FY2025, $62.82 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Hoffman Institute FoundationSan Rafael, CA · revenue $34M · programs 79.2% · 2024
- Corban UniversitySalem, OR · revenue $34M · programs 86.5% · FY2025
- The Hope SchoolSpringfield, IL · revenue $34M · programs 95.0% · FY2025
- Steele Canyon High SchoolSpring Valley, CA · revenue $34M · programs 80.1% · FY2025
- Marin AcademySan Rafael, CA · revenue $34M · programs 75.5% · FY2025
All education charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of American Council on Education's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, American Council on Education reported that 62.8% of its $41.3 million in expenses went to program services, 34.2% to management and general and 3.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does American Council on Education pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation American Council on Education reported for one person in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 was $1,031,089, for the role of PRESIDENT, EX OFFICIO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does American Council on Education get its money?
Of $34.3 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, 17.6% came from contributions and grants (including 0.1% from government grants) and 54.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is American Council on Education a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 53-0196573 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 September 30, 2025, object 202611019349301106 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, object 202501339349301625 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, object 202411779349300426 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, object 202302019349301260 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, object 202241579349300014 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, object 202111129349301346 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 53-0196573: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.