Thrive Scholars
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
WE PROVIDE HIGH-ACHIEVING STUDENTS FROM UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES THE OPPORTUNITIES THEY NEED TO THRIVE AT TOP COLLEGES AND IN MEANINGFUL CAREERS.
- Income
- $17.0 million
- Spending
- $18.8 million
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 279
- Volunteers
- 350
- Highest pay
- $433,801, chief executive officer until 08/24
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
Weak: 49 out of 100. Higher than 31% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.0 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 32% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 11% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% 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: 93 out of 100. Higher than 39% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2518 of 18 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports 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)
- $14.7 million spent. THRIVE SCHOLARS HAS ACHIEVED TREMENDOUS RESULTS IN SUPPORTING SCHOLARS TO ENROLL IN TOP COLLEGES, EARN GREAT GRADES, AND GRADUATE CAREER-READY. OUR RESULTS WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS SHOW THAT 89% OF THRIVE SCHOLARS ARE ATTENDING A TOP COLLEGE, 39% ARE GOING TO AN IVY LEAGUE+ SCHOOL (DEFINED AS THE IVY LEAGUE PLUS STANFORD, MIT, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, AND DUKE), AND 99% GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE WITHIN SIX YEARS. OUR SCHOLARS HAVE AN AVERAGE GPA OF 3.5 UPON COLLEGE GRADUATION; 87% OF STEM SCHOLARS PERSISTED AND GRADUATED WITH A STEM DEGREE, AND OUR FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE SCHOLARS FINISHED THEIR FRESHMAN YEAR WITH AN AVERAGE GPA OF 3.4. OUR SCHOLARS ARE OUTPERFORMING THE GENERAL POPULATION AT TOP COLLEGES, NOT JUST SIMILAR HIGH-ACHIEVING, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS OF COLOR. THRIVE SCHOLARS ARE 10% MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE THAN STUDENTS AT THESE HIGHLY RANKED COLLEGES, THEY ARE ALSO 18% MORE LIKELY TO PURSUE A STEM MAJOR AND 55% MORE LIKELY TO PERSIST IN THAT STEM MAJOR THAN STUDENTS AT HIGHLY RANKED COLLEGES. OF OUR RECENTLY GRADUATED COHORTS, 77% OF SCHOLARS DID SO WITH A MEANINGFUL FIRST-DESTINATION CAREER PLACEMENT AND THOSE IN FULL-TIME SALARIED POSITIONS MAKE 1.9X THE INCOME OF THEIR FAMILY BACKGROUND (OVER $73,000). WE ATTRIBUTE THIS SUCCESS LARGELY TO OUR SIGNATURE SUMMER ACADEMY, A ROBUST 6-WEEK ACADEMIC PROGRAM DESIGNED TO DEMYSTIFY THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE AND EXPOSE FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS TO THE RIGORS OF COLLEGE, AS WELL AS OUR ONE-ON-ONE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS COUNSELING, COACHING THROUGH THE FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE TRANSITION, AND INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC CAREER COACHING IN THEIR FINAL YEARS OF COLLEGE. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, RESULTS HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMING: OUR SCHOLARS' GPAS INCREASED FROM 2.9 TO 3.45 STEM PERSISTENCE ROSE FROM 20% TO 87%, AND 6-YEAR GRADUATION RATES INCREASED FROM 90% TO 99%.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 2014.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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.