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Future Business Leaders of America- Inc

EIN 23-7157445 · Reston, VA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak43 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Raising each dollar of donations cost 64 cents.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA (FBLA) INSPIRES AND PREPARES STUDENTS TO BECOME COMMUNITY-MINDED BUSINESS LEADERS IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY THROUGH RELEVANT CAREER PREPARATION AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES. EACH YEAR, FBLA ENGAGES OVER 200,000 MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, AND COLLEGE STUDENTS THROUGH EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT BUILD BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE, CAREER-CONNECTED SKILLS, AND LEADERSHIP CAPACITY TO SUCCEED IN THE WORKFORCE OF TOMORROW.

Income
$7.4 million
Spending
$8.7 million
Spent on programs
76%
Reserves
7.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 91%
Employees
18
Volunteers
2,800
Highest pay
$178,327, director of finance - until 07/25

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

Financial health

Weak: 43 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 7.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 41% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 17% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 15% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    76% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 64 cents.

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

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    15 of 15 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 July 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 (4)
  1. $4.1 million spent. EDUCATION: FBLA'S NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE (NLC) IS A CORNERSTONE OF ITS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING, INTEGRATING CLASSROOM LEARNING WITH REAL-WORLD APPLICATION. FROM JUNE 26 TO JULY 2, 2025, MORE THAN 14,000 STUDENTS ATTENDED THE NLC IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, WHERE THEY PARTICIPATED IN HIGH-QUALITY, CAREER-CONNECTED LEARNING EXPERIENCES INCLUDING MORE THAN 194 STUDENT-CENTERED WORKSHOPS, LEADERSHIP ACADEMIES, AND INDUSTRY PANELS. THESE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ALIGN WITH PRIORITIES TO EXPAND WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND HELP STUDENTS STRENGTHEN IN-DEMAND SKILLS ACROSS BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY, AND COMMUNICATIONS SECTORS.
  2. $1.3 million spent. AWARDS: FBLA'S COMPETITIVE EVENT PROGRAM IS AN EDUCATION-BASED RECOGNITION INITIATIVE ALIGNED TO STATE AND NATIONAL ACADEMIC AND CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE) STANDARDS. STUDENTS COMPETE IN MORE THAN 153 EVENTS TIED TO BUSINESS PATHWAYS SUCH AS FINANCE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, COMPUTER SCIENCE, HOSPITALITY, AND MARKETING. IN 2024-2025, OVER 30,000 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN DISTRICT, STATE, AND NATIONAL LEVELS, DEMONSTRATING PROFICIENCY IN PROBLEM-SOLVING, CRITICAL THINKING, COMMUNICATION, AND LEADERSHIP, SKILLS ALIGNED WITH EMPLOYABILITY AND 21ST-CENTURY WORKFORCE READINESS.
  3. $743,162 spent. MEMBERSHIP: FBLA CHAPTERS SERVE AS EDUCATION HUBS WHERE STUDENTS ENGAGE IN PROJECT-BASED LEARNING, COMMUNITY SERVICE, AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. IN 2024-2025, FBLA SUPPORTED 204,000 MEMBERS ACROSS 5,825 CHAPTERS. THROUGH STRUCTURED CLASSROOM INTEGRATION AND CO-CURRICULAR EXPERIENCES, FBLA HELPS STUDENTS EXPLORE CAREER PATHWAYS, DEVELOP LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES, AND ENGAGE IN CIVIC AND ECONOMIC EDUCATION, ADVANCING ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CTE AND CAREER PATHWAY PROGRAMMING.
  4. $414,590 spent. COMMUNICATION: FBLA EXPANDED ITS EDUCATOR-FACING TOOLS TO SUPPORT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND ADVISER EFFECTIVENESS. IN 2024-2025, THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDED INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES, PROMOTED CLASSROOM-ALIGNED LEADERSHIP CURRICULUM, AND STRENGTHENED ITS EDUCATOR AND ADVISER NETWORKS. THESE INITIATIVES PROMOTE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CAREER PREPARATION CONTENT AND ALIGN WITH NATIONAL EFFORTS TO SCALE EFFECTIVE EDUCATION-TO-CAREER PIPELINES.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending July 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 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 July 2025.

    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 October 1971.

    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.