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Learnserve International

EIN 80-0208444 · Washington, DC

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood78 out of 100GovernanceStrong93 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

LearnServe international equips high school students from diverse backgrounds with the entrepreneurial vision, tenacity, confidence and leadership skills needed to tackle social challenges at home and abroad.

Income
$786,642
Spending
$677,835
Spent on programs
60%
Reserves
5.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 87%
Employees
24
Volunteers
100
Highest pay
$88,062, ceo

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: 78 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 5.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 7% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 14% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 27% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    60% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 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: 93 out of 100. Higher than 90% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    12 of 12 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

    0 of 7

    Reports no 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 (3)
  1. $291,360 spent. LearnServe Fellows Program:The LearnServe Fellows Program is a 7-month program with a mix of weekly in-person and some virtual meetings. Participants identify the global issues they care about, centered around the UN Sustainability Goals. Applying human- and equity-centered design methods, LearnServe Fellows research, ideate, test, design, and launch social ventures addressing their chosen causes. The program culminates in a pitch competition with a chance to qualify for matching seed grants of up to $200. During the financial year ending June 30, 2025, 57 Fellows completed the program inWashington, DC. During the same year, 55 students completed the LearnServe FellowsProgram in Lusaka, Zambia and 20 students completed the program in Bataan, Costa Rica, facilitated by LearnServes partner organizations in each country.
  2. $82,165 spent. LearnServe Abroad and Incubator:The LearnServe Incubator is a 6-month virtual program that builds on the skills learned during the Fellows Program and brings together young social entrepreneurs from around the world to further develop their social ventures with a focus on human- and equity-centered design, iterative customer discovery, and entrepreneurship skills as well as cross-cultural competencies.In 2024-25, participants from the U.S. and Zambia introduced their ventures to a panel of judges at a virtual pitch competition. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 17 participants completed the virtual Incubator program.LearnServes Global travel capstone program gives participants the opportunity to understand social innovation through a global lens. Typically students from Washington, DC join Zambian peers for 2 weeks of leadership development, cross cultural exchange, and direct service. In 2025, students from Washington, DC were unable to travel but sustained virtual collaboration with peers in Zambia.
  3. $31,766 spent. Other Programs:General Programs includes Seeding Social Innovation, the in-school social entrepreneurship program, and initiatives to develop new programs and reach new audiences. During fiscal year 2024-25, Seeding Social Innovation was implemented at one school in the Washington, DC area.

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 February 2009.

    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.