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Nashville Public Education Foundation

EIN 48-1266314 · Nashville, TN

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood82 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE NASHVILLE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION SUPPORTS TEACHERS AND LEADERS TO BUILD SCHOOLS WHERE ALL KIDS THRIVE. THE FOUNDATION DOES THIS BY ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE, SUPPORTING MNPS AS A CONSULTING PARTNER, PROMOTING EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION, AND CONVENING STAKEHOLDERS TO DRIVE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS.

Income
$1.7 million
Spending
$1.9 million
Spent on programs
80%
Reserves
8.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 75%
Employees
6
Volunteers
21
Highest pay
$200,948, president and ceo (end 7/25)

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 69% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 6% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 12% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 21% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    80% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 14 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

    17 of 17 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 (1)
  1. $1.5 million spent. IN FY25, NPEF WAS ABLE TO FURTHER OUR MISSION TO ADVANCE STUDENT OUTCOMES IN METRO NASHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS (MNPS) IN MULTIPLE WAYS AS WE FOCUSED ON FOUR KEY AREAS TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND FAMILIES: 1) SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRITICAL ISSUES FACING MNPS STUDENTS; 2) CONVENING STAKEHOLDERS TO SOLVE CHALLENGES TOGETHER; 3) DELIVERING HIGH-QUALITY PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS AND FAMILIES; AND 4) STRATEGICALLY PARTNERING WITH THE DISTRICT AROUND SPECIFIC PRIORITIES. WE SHARED INFORMATION ABOUT THE ISSUES AFFECTING OUR STUDENTS THROUGH A SERIES OF INFOGRAPHICS AND BRIEFS ON KEY TOPICS, INCLUDING PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING; STATE STANDARDS, ASSESSMENTS, AND ACCOUNTABILITY; CAREER PATHWAYS IN MNPS; EDUCATION POLICIES SUCH AS SCHOOL VOUCHERS AND POST-SECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES. WE ALSO SHARED INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS THROUGH OUR THRIVING SCHOOLS WORK, WHERE WE PARTNERED WITH THE TENNESSEE EDUCATION RESEARCH ALLIANCE TO DEVELOP INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL PROFILES BASED ON THE DATA POINTS FAMILIES WANT. WE CONVENED STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH TWO KEY INITIATIVES - LEADERSHIP PUBLIC EDUCATION (LPE) AND THE NASHVILLE CHILD AND YOUTH COLLABORATIVE (NCYC). LPE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NASHVILLE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, IS A COHORT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SERIES THAT INFORMS PARTICIPANTS ABOUT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND HOW THEY CAN BEST SUPPORT STUDENTS IN OUR DISTRICT. THE NCYC, WHICH NPEF LAUNCHED IN 2023, IS A COALITION OF 20 NASHVILLE NONPROFITS SEEKING TO ELEVATE THE VOICES OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND DRIVE MORE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE NEEDS OF OUR CHILDREN AND YOUTH. THIS YEAR, THE COLLABORATIVE PARTNERED AGAIN WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ZULFAT SUARA ON A YOUTH DAY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, BRINGING OVER 50 YOUTH TO NASHVILLE'S COURTHOUSE TO MEET WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND PRESENT ON ISSUES THAT AFFECT THEIR LIVES. WE ALSO CONVENED THE NCYC THROUGH A STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS TO DETERMINE WHAT THE COLLABORATIVE SHOULD FOCUS ON GOING FORWARD. ADDITIONALLY, WE DELIVERED KEY ANNUAL PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND FAMILIES. TEACHERPRENEUR IS A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO HARNESS EDUCATOR INNOVATION TO REMOVE INEQUITIES AND BUILD SCHOOLS WHERE ALL STUDENTS THRIVE. THIS UNIQUE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITY HELPS TEACHERS IDENTIFY, DESIGN, PITCH, AND IMPLEMENT INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS. TECH GOES HOME, BASED ON A NATIONAL MODEL, IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NPEF AND MNPS. IN EXCHANGE FOR ATTENDING TRAINING SESSIONS ON DIGITAL LITERACY, INCLUDING HOW FAMILIES CAN ACCESS MNPS-SPECIFIC APPS TO TRACK STUDENT PROGRESS, FAMILIES RECEIVE A FREE LAPTOP. OUR BLUE RIBBON TEACHER AWARDS PROVIDE RECOGNITION FOR SOME OF THE DISTRICT'S MOST OUTSTANDING TEACHERS, REWARDING THEM WITH A CHECK AND A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION. NPEF PROVIDED STRATEGIC SUPPORT TO DISTRICT LEADERS THIS PAST YEAR IN TWO KEY AREAS. FIRST, WE PARTNERED WITH THE URBAN SCHOOLS HUMAN CAPITAL ACADEMY TO PERFORM A TEACHER SUPPLY AND DEMAND STUDY, HIGHLIGHTING KEY AREAS TO FOCUS RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS. WE ALSO OVERHAULED AND RELAUNCHED THE TEACH-NASHVILLE.ORG WEBSITE, WHICH IS A ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR INFORMATION ABOUT TEACHING IN OUR DISTRICT, INCLUDING INFORMATION ON WORKING IN MNPS AND LIVING IN NASHVILLE.

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 September 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.