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The Philadelphia Education Fund

EIN 22-2567982 · Philadelphia, PA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood82 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE MISSION OF THE PHILADELPHIA EDUCATION FUND (PEF) IS TO CREATE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS BY PROVIDING RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE THAT BUILD PATHS TO COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS. PEF FOCUSES ON PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS ATTENDING SCHOOLS WITH LOW GRADUATION, POSTSECONDARY PERSISTENCE, COLLEGE ENROLLMENT, AND COLLEGE COMPLETION RATES. PEF FULFILLS ITS MISSION BY EMBEDDING A COLLEGE AND CAREER GOING FRAMEWORK IN THE PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM; DELIVERING IN PERSON, SCHOOL BASED, AND VIRTUAL SUPPORTS; ALIGNING SECONDARY AND POSTSECONDARY INSTRUCTION; PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIP AID; AND SUPPORTING STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, DISTRICTS, AND COMMUNITIES

Income
$5.1 million
Spending
$5.1 million
Spent on programs
89%
Reserves
4.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 35%
Employees
35
Volunteers
75
Highest pay
$222,404, president and ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 82 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 4.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 6% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    12 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 1% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 9% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    88% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 49% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    24 of 24 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 June 30, 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 (2)
  1. $3.4 million spent. DIRECT SERVICES TO STUDENTS: THE GOAL OF PEF'S DIRECT SERVICES TO STUDENTS IS TO CREATE PATHWAYS TO COLLEGE AND CAREER BY EQUIPPING PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH THE GUIDANCE, PREPARATION, AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES NEEDED TO PURSUE POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION. DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD, PEF PROVIDED COLLEGE ADVISING, PREPARATORY WORKSHOPS, STANDARDIZED TEST PREPARATION, ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT, AND HANDS ON ASSISTANCE TO AN ESTIMATED 8,000-10,000 STUDENTS (ESTIMATE), IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA, HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND BUSINESSES.PEF'S SHORT TERM OBJECTIVE IS TO INCREASE STUDENTS' COLLEGE READINESS, ENROLLMENT, AND AFFORDABILITY; ITS LONG TERM OBJECTIVE IS TO IMPROVE POSTSECONDARY PERSISTENCE AND COMPLETION FOR STUDENTS FROM HISTORICALLY UNDER RESOURCED SCHOOLS. THROUGH THE PHILADELPHIA SCHOLARS PROGRAM, PEF STEWARDED AN ENDOWMENT THAT AWARDED LAST DOLLAR, GAP FILLING SCHOLARSHIPS TO MORE THAN 100 STUDENTS ANNUALLY AND SUPPORTED RECIPIENTS THROUGH WORKSHOPS, MENTORING, RESOURCE SHARING, AND ASSISTANCE ACCESSING LEVERAGED THIRD PARTY SCHOLARSHIPS. IN THE REPORTING YEAR, PEF DISTRIBUTED $625,000 IN SCHOLARSHIP AID, REDUCING FINANCIAL BARRIERS TO COLLEGE ENROLLMENT AND PERSISTENCE.
  2. $1.0 million spent. TEACHING AND LEARNING:THROUGH ITS TEACHING AND LEARNING AND SCHOOL SERVICES PROGRAMMING, PEF SUPPORTS SCHOOLS, EDUCATORS, AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS IN BUILDING COLLEGE GOING, CAREER READY SCHOOL CULTURES. DURING THE YEAR, PEF PROVIDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND CAPACITY BUILDING SUPPORTS TO AN ESTIMATED 300-400 EDUCATORS AND SCHOOL STAFF.THE SHORT TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK IS TO STRENGTHEN EDUCATOR PRACTICE AND ALIGN INSTRUCTION WITH COLLEGE AND CAREER EXPECTATIONS; THE LONG TERM OBJECTIVE IS TO EMBED SUSTAINABLE COLLEGE AND CAREER GOING SYSTEMS WITHIN PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BY STRENGTHENING TEACHING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, PEF MULTIPLIES THE IMPACT OF ITS DIRECT STUDENT SERVICES AND ADVANCES ITS CHARITABLE MISSION TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES CITYWIDE.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 June 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 July 1987.

    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.