American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Only 50% of its spending went to programs.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
AACTE ELEVATES EDUCATION AND EDUCATOR PREPARATION THROUGH RESEARCH, PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE, ADVOCACY, AND COLLABORATION.
- Income
- $4.9 million
- Spending
- $5.8 million
- Spent on programs
- 50%
- Reserves
- 15.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 91%
- Employees
- 17
- Volunteers
- 59
- Highest pay
- $506,458, president and ceo to sep 2024
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: 66 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 15.6 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 27% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 18% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1550% 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.
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
7 of 7Has a 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 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 (4)
- $1.4 million spent. MEETINGS AND EVENTS: CONTAINS ANNUAL MEETING, MEETING & EVENTS, WASHINGTON WEEK, AND LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR VARIOUS PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES OF THOSE IN THE PROFESSION, PROMOTE TEACHER EDUCATION AS A PROFESSION, AND PROMOTE AND MAINTAIN EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS WITHIN THE MEMBERSHIP. THESE ACTIVITIES ARE CARRIED OUT THROUGH SPECIAL MEETINGS, CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS.
- $568,824 spent. ORGANIZATIONAL ADVANCEMENT: THE ASSOCIATION DEVELOPS AND PRODUCES PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER TYPES OF LITERATURE RELATING TO TEACHER EDUCATION. ALSO, UPON REQUEST, THE ASSOCIATION COLLECTS AND PROVIDES INFORMATION OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO THE MEMBERSHIP AND THOSE IN THE PROFESSION.
- $517,676 spent. MEMBERSHIPS: AACTE MEMBERSHIP HELPS MEMBERS BROADEN THEIR KNOWLEDGE TO ADDRESS CURRENT CHALLENGES AND PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES TO NETWORK WITH PROFESSIONALS WITH COMMON INTERESTS AND GOALS TO ENRICH THEIR DEVELOPMENT. MEMBERS RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO FREE OR DISCOUNTED FEES FOR A RANGE OF PROGRAMS, EVENTS, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES: INCLUDING JOURNAL SUBSCRIPTIONS, A MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAININGS AND WEBINARS, ADVOCACY RESOURCES, LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, AND DOZENS OF TOOLKITS, GUIDES, AND ASSESSMENT MATERIALS.
- $372,309 spent. GOVERNMENT RELATIONS: THE ASSOCIATION COLLECTS AND COMMUNICATES TO ITS MEMBERS, INFORMATION ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS, WHICH WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON TEACHER EDUCATION AND BE OF COMMON INTEREST TO THE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 1971.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.