Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
WE DEVELOP, ENGAGE, AND RETAIN PRINCIPALS AND SYSTEM LEADERS WHO TRANSFORM SCHOOLS, DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES, AND DRIVE SYSTEMIC CHANGE TO PREPARE ALL PHILADELPHIA STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE, CAREER, AND LIFE.
- Income
- $4.3 million
- Spending
- $4.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 84%
- Reserves
- 3.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 91%
- Employees
- 15
- Volunteers
- 6
- Highest pay
- $259,726, exec. dir./president
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: 70 out of 100. Higher than 53% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.4 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 42% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 6% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1584% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 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 256 of 7 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 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 (4)
- $2.1 million spent. THE PHILADELPHIA ACADEMY OF SCHOOL LEADERS (PASL) PROVIDES HIGH-QUALITY, RESULTS-DRIVEN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SCHOOL AND SYSTEM LEADERS TO ACCELERATE LEARNING AND GROWTH FOR EVERY PHILADELPHIA STUDENT. WE INVEST IN PHILADELPHIA'S EDUCATION LEADERSHIP WITH THE CONVICTION THAT THIS INVESTMENT WILL YIELD DIVIDENDS FOR THE ALMOST 200,000 SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO LIVE HERE. OUR RESEARCH-BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCES PROVIDE LEADERS WITH THE NECESSARY TOOLS, SKILLS, AND NETWORKS TO ELEVATE PERFORMANCE AND ADVANCE EQUITY TO IMPROVE SCHOOL AND STUDENT OUTCOMES.THE NEUBAUER FELLOWSHIP IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, PASL'S FLAGSHIP PROGRAM, IS A TRANSFORMATIVE TWO-YEAR LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE FOR PRINCIPALS WITH A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF IMPROVING PHILADELPHIA'S SCHOOLS. THE PROGRAM DEVELOPS LEADERSHIP SKILLS TO ELEVATE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND STUDENT OUTCOMES IN SCHOOLS AND ACROSS THE CITY.USING A UNIQUE CROSS-SECTOR, COHORT-BASED APPROACH, FELLOWS RECEIVE BEST-IN-CLASS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND BUILD DEEP RELATIONSHIPS WITH A NETWORK OF OUTSTANDING PEERS WHO SHARE STRATEGIES AND PROBLEM-SOLVE WITH ONE ANOTHER. THE FELLOWSHIP PROVIDES RESOURCES AND GUIDANCE TO SHARPEN PRINCIPALS' LEADERSHIP CAPACITIES AND PRODUCE MEASURABLE, MEANINGFUL RESULTS. THE COMPETITIVE FELLOWSHIP SELECTION PROCESS ENSURES A DIVERSE MIX OF TALENT AND PERSPECTIVES THAT ENHANCES THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. THE RIGOROUS COMPETENCY-BASED SELECTION PROCESS INCLUDES AN APPLICATION, INTERVIEWS, INSTRUCTIONAL ANALYSIS, DATA REVIEWS, AND SCHOOL VISITS. THE TWO-YEAR NEUBAUER FELLOWSHIP INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM COMPONENTS: - AN INTENSIVE SIX-DAY SUMMER INSTITUTE IN YEAR 1 - QUARTERLY INSTITUTES TO BUILD CAPACITY IN SEVEN LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES: ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP; CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT FOR STUDENT SUCCESS; EQUITY; FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT; INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP; PROFESSIONAL LEARNING; SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONS - INDIVIDUALIZED MONTHLY COACHING TO SUPPORT STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND LEADERSHIP GROWTH - APPLICATION OF LEARNING TO A YEAR-LONG PROBLEM OF PRACTICE - OPPORTUNITIES TO HOST AND VISIT OTHER FELLOWS' SCHOOLS - INTIMATE "DINNERS WITH DECISION-MAKERS" WITH PROMINENT BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, AND NON-PROFIT LEADERS WHO FACE COMPLEX, UNPREDICTABLE CHALLENGES AS A FORMAT TO LEARN LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM OTHER FIELDS - A $4,000 STIPEND OVER THE TWO YEARS OF THE FELLOWSHIP - ONGOING AND DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, CONNECTIONS, AND RESOURCES AS SENIOR FELLOWS (ALUMNI)THE NEUBAUER FELLOWSHIP HAS SERVED 173 SCHOOL AND SYSTEM LEADERS WHO COLLECTIVELY IMPACT NEARLY 100,000 STUDENTS EVERY DAY. BASED ON AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR'S MULTI-YEAR EVALUATION, WE ARE PLEASED TO SHARE THE FOLLOWING RESULTS: LEADER RETENTION - NEUBAUER FELLOWS ARE RETAINED AT HIGHER RATES IN THE SCHOOL, PRINCIPAL ROLE, SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND CITY OF PHILADELPHIA. THIS IS TRUE AFTER 1, 2, 3, 4, AND 5 YEARS. - NEUBAUER FELLOWS ARE MORE LIKELY TO MOVE INTO LEADERSHIP ROLES. STUDENT ATTENDANCE - SCHOOLS LED BY NEUBAUER FELLOWS HAD A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ATTENDING 95% OR MORE OF INSTRUCTIONAL DAYS THAN SCHOOLS NOT LED BY PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. - PERCENTAGES INCREASED IN YEARS AFTER BEGINNING THE NEUBAUER FELLOWSHIP (COMPARED TO PRIOR YEARS). TEACHER PERCEPTIONS (TEACHER SURVEY QUESTIONS ALIGNED TO OUR LEADERSHIP LEVERS) - SCHOOLS LED BY NEUBAUER FELLOWS HAD A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF TEACHERS WITH MOST FAVORABLE PERCEPTIONS OF PRINCIPALS' COMMUNICATION OF MISSION AND VISION, TALENT MANAGEMENT, INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT, AND EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS. - PARTICIPATION IN PASL PROGRAMS APPEARS TO IMPROVE TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS. STRATEGIC TEACHER RETENTION - NEUBAUER FELLOWS RETAIN TEACHERS STRATEGICALLY. THEY HAVE HIGHER RETENTION OF HIGHER-PERFORMING TEACHERS AND LOWER RETENTION OF LOWER-PERFORMING TEACHERS. - NEUBAUER FELLOWS HAD HIGHER RETENTION RATES FOR "DISTINGUISHED" TEACHERS IN YEARS DURING/AFTER THE FELLOWSHIP THAN WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPECTED BASED ON PRIOR RATES. THE MOST RECENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND GROWTH DATA SHOWED THAT SCHOOLS LED BY NEUBAUER FELLOWS, ON AVERAGE, DEMONSTRATED HIGHER PERFORMANCE ON MANY METRICS AND SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENT IN ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND ACADEMIC GROWTH WHEN COMPARED TO SCHOOLS LED BY NON-NEUBAUER FELLOW LEADERS.
- $543,453 spent. INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY IS A ONE-YEAR PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS PHILADELPHIA PRINCIPALS WITH A FOCUS ON FOUNDATIONAL TEACHING AND LEARNING BEST PRACTICES TO DRIVE RESULTS FOR STUDENTS. PASL PARTNERS WITH THE ACHIEVEMENT NETWORK (ANET) TO PROVIDE PRINCIPALS WITH MONTHLY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INDIVIDUALIZED COACHING. DURING THE ONE-YEAR PROGRAM, PARTICIPANTS: - SET GOALS, WORK TOWARDS THEM, AND MEASURE PROGRESS AGAINST CORE ACADEMIC GOALS. - DEVELOP INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES AROUND COACHING, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, AND DATA USE FOR SCHOOL-WIDE ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT. - BUILD YOUR COACHING, PLANNING/FACILITATION, AND DATA ANALYSIS SKILLS AND THEN TURN KEY LEARNINGS TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN STAFF. - DEVELOP A DIVERSE NETWORK OF PRINCIPAL COLLEAGUES TO LEARN FROM AND ALONGSIDE. - PARTICIPATE IN MONTHLY DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS WITH OTHER PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING: - A TWO-DAY IN-PERSON PROGRAM - MONTHLY IN-PERSON SESSIONS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR (3 HOURS EACH). - ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN 1.5 HOURS OF INDIVIDUALIZED COACHING FROM A DESIGNATED INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP COACH (ON-SITE AND VIRTUAL).
- $448,021 spent. OUR SENIOR FELLOW PROGRAMMING OFFERS A RANGE OF POST FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES DESIGNED TO SUPPORT SCHOOL AND SYSTEM LEADERS. THESE INCLUDE: SENIOR FELLOW INSTITUTESAT PASL, OUR NEUBAUER FELLOWS ARE FELLOWS FOREVER. WE OFFER SENIOR FELLOWS FOCUSED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, PROVIDING CONTINUOUS LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT BUILD CAPACITY TO SUSTAIN ONGOING STUDENT AND SCHOOL GROWTH.AS PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO LIFELONG LEARNING AND INFORMED BY FEEDBACK FROM SENIOR FELLOWS ON OUR PRACTITIONER ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WE ARE OFFERING SENIOR FELLOW INSTITUTES, A SERIES OF MULTIPLE-SESSION LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT ADDRESS TOPICS IDENTIFIED BY SENIOR FELLOWS AS RELEVANT, TIMELY, AND NEEDED TO SUPPORT THEIR PRACTICE. SENIOR FELLOW INSTITUTES SEEK TO BALANCE ONE-OFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND FULL-YEAR LEARNING ARCS, PROVIDING CONNECTED LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT COMPLEMENT ONE ANOTHER AND CAN BE EXPERIENCED INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A SEQUENCE.
- $282,850 spent. LEADERS OF LEADERSDEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA, THE 2025-2026 LEADERS OF LEADERS PROGRAM REIMAGINES THE ROLE OF THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, MOVING FROM COMPLIANCE TO A COACHING APPROACH.WITH A SYSTEMS-THINKING APPROACH THAT DRIVES PLANNING AND FACILITATION, LEADERS OF LEADERS PROVIDES SENIOR LEADERS FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA COACHING STRATEGIES ESSENTIAL FOR PRINCIPALS' DEVELOPMENT. THROUGH THE PROGRAM, SENIOR LEADERS IMPLEMENT A CONSISTENT APPROACH TO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TO MAXIMIZE THEIR IMPACT IN DEVELOPING THE PRINCIPALS THEY MANAGE.
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
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 November 6, 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 June 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 November 2018.
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 November 4, 2026.
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