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Teaching Matters Inc

EIN 13-3770472 · New York, NY

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TEACHING MATTERS IS A NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO INCREASING TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS, A CRITICAL FACTOR IN STUDENT SUCCESS. FROM STATES AND DISTRICTS TO SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS, WE PARTNER TO HELP TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS DEVELOP THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO TEACH WELL, LEAD THEIR PEERS AND DRIVE SCHOOL-WIDE IMPROVEMENT. OUR MISSION IS TO CLOSE THE OPPORTUNITY GAP OF A RADICALLY UNEQUAL EDUCATION SYSTEM FOR UNDERSERVED AND HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED CHILDREN.

Income
$16.0 million
Spending
$12.8 million
Spent on programs
76%
Reserves
14.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 65%
Employees
130
Volunteers
14
Highest pay
$329,495, ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 94% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 14.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 4% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 20% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 26% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    76% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 14 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 25% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    14 of 14 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $9.8 million spent. TEACHING MATTERS HAS SUPPORTED NEW YORK CITY (NYC) PUBLIC SCHOOLS SERVING PRIMARILY LOW-INCOME BLACK AND LATINX K-12 STUDENTS FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS. OUR MISSION IS TO CLOSE THE OPPORTUNITY GAP OF A RADICALLY UNEQUAL EDUCATION SYSTEM FOR UNDERSERVED AND HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED CHILDREN. WE ENVISION A NATION WHERE EVERY STUDENT HAS EQUITABLE ACCESS TO EXCELLENT TEACHING, REGARDLESS OF ZIP CODE. WE ARE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED, AND SINCE OUR FOUNDING, WE HAVE WORKED WITH OVER 1,700 SCHOOLS, 40,000 TEACHERS AND REACHED OVER 750,000 STUDENTS. THIS YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO DIRECTLY COACH 2,500+ EDUCATORS IN 200+ SCHOOLS, REACHING 100,000+ STUDENTS ACROSS ALL PROGRAM AREAS WHICH INCLUDE: THIS YEAR, WE DIRECTLY COACHED 4,500+ EDUCATORS IN 334 SCHOOLS, REACHING NEARLY 130,000 STUDENTS. THE ORGANIZATION FOCUSES ON PROVIDING MATH AND READING SUPPORT IN SEVERAL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. TEACHING MATTERS HAS A CODIFIED APPROACH FOR BOTH TIER I READING AND MATH CURRICULUM ADOPTION, AS WELL AS TIER II TARGETED SUPPORT, THAT HOLISTICALLY BUILDS CAPACITY FOR DISTRICTS AND ADDRESSES THEIR MOST PRESSING NEEDS, WHILE MEANINGFULLY IMPACTING STUDENTS. TEACHING MATTERS FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY MATTERS (FLM) PROGRAM IS A 12-WEEK INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO "JUMPSTART" EARLY READING. THIS INNOVATIVE APPROACH GREW OUT OF OUR EVIDENCE-BASED EARLY LITERACY MODEL, EARLY READING MATTERS (ERM). FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY MATTERS USES THE CYCLES OF SUPPORT FROM ERM, BUT TARGETS THEM TO THE YOUNGEST AND MOST STRUGGLING READERS TO MOVE THEM FROM PRE-READING TO PROFICIENCY. MATH MATTERS DEVELOPS TEACHERS' CAPACITY TO ACCELERATE STUDENT LEARNING THROUGH RIGOROUS GRADE-LEVEL MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION USING HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO BUILD CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING, PROCEDURAL FLUENCY, AND APPLICATION SKILLS, IN A SUPPORTIVE, WELCOMING AND AFFIRMING CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT. WE FOCUS ON MEASURING OUTCOMES RELATED TO STUDENTS' MASTERY OF STANDARDS, STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, AND CHANGES IN TEACHER PRACTICE. THE TEACHING MATTERS NETWORK FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT: OUR NETWORK CONNECTS 16 MIDDLE SCHOOLS ACROSS NYC DISTRICTS, WITH THE OVERALL GOAL OF INCREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF BLACK, LATINX, AND LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WHO ARE ON-TRACK BY THE END OF MIDDLE SCHOOL (8TH GRADE) TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL AND BE ACADEMICALLY PREPARED FOR COLLEGE. THIS GATES FOUNDATION, FIVE-YEAR, GRANT ALLOWS US TO FOCUS ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE LITERACY PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS THAT CENTER STUDENT VOICE AND TAKES A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT APPROACH TO LEARNING. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS A COMPARATIVE EVALUATION STUDY MANAGED BY THE GATES FOUNDATION, TESTING THE EFFICACY OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PRACTICES IN IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR BLACK, LATINX, AND LOW-INCOME STUDENTS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending August 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since August 1994.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.