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Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Inc

EIN 23-7003530 · Alexandria, VA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair60 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TESOL International Association advances professional expertise in English language teaching to speakers of other languages in multilingual contexts worldwide through professional learning, research, standards, and advocacy.

Income
$276,098
Spending
$563,399
Spent on programs
81%
Reserves
77.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 55%
Employees
20
Volunteers
635
Highest pay
$143,790, head of operations

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 26% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 77.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 37% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 104% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 95% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    81% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 95% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    11 of 11 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

    10 of 10

    Gave 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 December 31, 2024, 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 (5)
  1. $160,369 spent. Strategic events - during fiscal year 2024, TESOL hosted its TESOL International Convention Expo, bringing together more than 3300 ELT professionals from across the globe to exchange their knowledge, best practices, and research in Tampa, FL. The in-person convention featured three keynotes, over 600 educational sessions, and several special events. Proposals are peer-reviewed. Following the in-person convention, an additional 2000 ELT professionals joined the online convention. This means, over 5,000 TESOLers came together last March and April to share ELT experiences. TESOL also hosted an additional virtual conference in October 2024 : ELevate. This 2-day worldwide event strengthened the field and elevated the knowledge and expertise of ELT professionals in the primary and secondary school context. As part of its commitment to DEIA, TESOL successfully included a significant number of underrepresented teachers and other TESOL professionals from around the world in this event. As part of its commitment to DEIA, and thanks to a partnership with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State, TESOL was able to include a significant number of underrepresented teachers and other TESOL professionals from around the world in its flagship event.
  2. $110,303 spent. Marketing and member services - for more than 55 years, TESOL has been providing a community to educators, researchers, administrators, and students in the ELT field. With more than 6,000 members representing over 170 countries, and more than 100 worldwide affiliates, TESOL offers members the opportunity to be part of a dynamic professional community and join in TESOL's mission to advance excellence in English language teaching.
  3. $97,620 spent. Professional learning - TESOL provides year-round continuing education programs to TESOL members and other professionals throughout the world to develop leadership skills, improve core competencies, and stay abreast of the latest developments in the dynamic field of English language teaching and learning. Self-paced and facilitated courses are available. Popular courses include the fundamentals of TESOL, schoolwide English learning (SWEL), separating difference from disability, social emotional learning (SEL), training for trainers (TFT), the 6ps of exemplary English language teaching (6ps), and supporting English learners with exceptional needs. We also brought the TESOL core certificate training program (TCCP) to hundreds of ELT professionals around the world thru grants, programs, and partnerships.
  4. $64,504 spent. Book publications - TESOL produces and disseminates serial publications and books that are designed to advance the expertise of English language teaching professionals. TESOL press offers over 100 titles, for educators teaching English as a second or foreign language. In addition, TESOL has 5 zip-guides and 4 6ps quick guides. These shorter, laminated files are designed to share easily digestible information on a slew of ELT topics. TESOL's latest best sellers are our no-prep activity cards. Each deck has 100 easy-to-create activities that give teachers classroom tasks addressing literacy and oracy skills, as well as assessment and AI experiences.Journals - TESOL produces and disseminates serial journals, blogs, and newsletters that are designed to advance the expertise of English language teaching professionals. TESOL publishes two refereed publications (TESOL quarterly and TESOL journal), along with a monthly newsletter, TESOL connections, for all English language professionals, in addition to various other newsletters for specific needs and interests.
  5. $23,328 spent. Advocacy, standards, and professional relations - TESOL speaks up on behalf of and supports excellence in the EL field through advocating for funding and support of EL educators and their students with elected officials, setting standards of excellence, and offering research based professional development. This work is conducted directly by TESOL and in conjunction with partner organizations, affiliated associations, and a variety of coalitions and groups covering the gamut of language education.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.

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

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since February 1969.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.