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Academy for Urban School Leadership

EIN 36-4447457 · Chicago, IL

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood81 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) is a nonprofit organization that recruits, trains and supports new teachers in underserved communities to ensure every student has a great teacher and a transformative education.

Income
$9.7 million
Spending
$10.0 million
Spent on programs
73%
Reserves
8.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 54%
Employees
209
Volunteers
14
Highest pay
$269,680, former executive director

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: 81 out of 100. Higher than 67% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 6% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.

  • Income trend

    10 of 15

    Income fell 7% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    73% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 17 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: 100 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    10 of 10 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 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. $6.1 million spent. Teacher Development - AUSL created the Chicago Teacher Residency (CTR) program, which is a partnership between AUSL, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and DePaul University. This nationally recognized program recruits and trains teachers with the long-term passion and skillset to serve in under-resourced communities and improve educational outcomes for students. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the CTR graduated 105 resident teachers, a 44% increase from the prior year. The program is a year-long resident teacher training program that combines a master's degree and significant classroom experience under the guidance of a trained and experienced mentor teacher. The residents receive intensive practice and individualized coaching while spending four days a week in CPS classrooms, observing and practicing the skills and strategies necessary to be an effective teacher. The CTR model also engages residents in graduate-level coursework to earn a master's degree with DePaul University. The graduates of the CTR have training and experience that far exceeds that of traditionally trained teachers and are uniquely prepared to transform student outcomes through teaching. As of June 30, 2025, AUSL has graduated 1,549 resident teachers. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the CTR graduated 105 resident teachers, a 44% increase from the prior year. During the year ended June 30, 2025, AUSL established the Lake County Teacher Residency (LCTR) in Lake County, IL, using donor-restricted funds. The LCTR mirrors the CTR model, providing the same year-long residency, graduate-level coursework through DePaul University, intensive classroom experience, and mentorship. As part of the program's launch, AUSL recruited and enrolled a class of 20 resident teachers who began training in schools in Round Lake, North Chicago, and Waukegan in August 2025.
  2. $1.1 million spent. Advisory Services - Through its Advisory Services and the LiberatED Way approach, AUSL supported forward-thinking school and systems-level leaders to authentically partner with their school communities in defining, calibrating on, and implementing a student-centered experience that led to whole-child success. AUSL provided services that included strategic consulting with district leaders alongside a variety of job-embedded professional learning experiences for the district and school-based talent that were coherently aligned to AUSL's purpose and value proposition. Specific project focus areas included, but were not limited to, establishment of foundational school structures for culture and instruction, development of strategies that foster authentic family and community partnerships, and implementation of robust and aligned teacher development systems. During the year ending June 30, 2025, AUSL suspended its Advisory Services, including the LiberatED Way programming. While this programming was not directly funded by the terminated federal grants, the loss of significant federal revenue at the organizational level required AUSL to reallocate resources and prioritize its core mission of training teachers and supporting high-quality educators through the teacher residency program.

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 June 2002.

    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.