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Fair Opportunity Project

EIN 82-2192047 · Madison, WI

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood75 out of 100GovernanceGood74 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION IS TO EMPOWER STUDENTS TO ACCESS AND AFFORD COLLEGE.

Income
$356,108
Spending
$345,852
Spent on programs
100%
Reserves
1.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 61%
Employees
0
Volunteers
165
Highest pay
$48,827, board co-president

Source: Form 990 for the year ending May 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 75 out of 100. Higher than 45% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 3% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 102% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    100% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending May 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 74 out of 100. Higher than 56% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    6 of 6 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no 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

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    12 of 15

    Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending May 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 (3)
  1. $135,989 spent. The organization conducted targeted virtual and in person financial aid and FAFSA help for high school students in Wisconsin. Outreach and marketing campaigns targeted approximately 65,000 students across 421 school districts. Schools received regular updates on their students' completion levels. The organization built a custom FAFSA chatbot with FSA knowledge base documentation that could respond in over 100 languages. The organization built a longitudinal FAFSA dashboard for schools to see completion trends over time. The dashboard incorporated publicly available student demographic data for analyzing completion levels according to average household income and geographic locale.
  2. $15,455 spent. Develop and update a comprehensive college application and financial aid guide that is freely available on the website and shared on social media and digital publications. Mentor program that matches high school students with near-peer mentors.
  3. $194,387 spent. The Summer Boost Program is an intensive virtual advising and FAFSA completion support program that pairs school counselors with Wisconsin high school juniors and seniors to support their successful completion of key steps in applying to and enrolling in college. Summer Boost provided weekly sessions and incentives for participating students to learn more about 2 and 4 year colleges and related career paths.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending May 31, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending May 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since August 2017.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.