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Merit America

EIN 84-2108762 · Washington, DC

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood81 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO PROVIDE A PATH TO SKILLED CAREERS FOR THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WITHOUT COLLEGE DEGREES.

Income
$61.4 million
Spending
$51.0 million
Spent on programs
93%
Reserves
5.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 75%
Employees
248
Volunteers
6
Highest pay
$599,166, co-founder and co-ceo

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

Good: 81 out of 100. Higher than 73% of charities in its peer group (human services, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 5.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 28% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 17% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 42% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    93% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 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. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (human services, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    6 of 8 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 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 (1)
  1. $47.3 million spent. IN 2024, MERIT AMERICA FOCUSED ON REFINING OUR PROVEN "TECH+ TOUCH" MODEL, BLENDING FLEXIBLE ONLINE LEARNING WITH WORLD-CLASS COACHING TO DELIVER TRANSFORMATIVE RESULTS AT SCALE. FUELED BY OUR MISSION TO BUILD A PATHWAY TO THE MIDDLE CLASS FOR THE 53 MILLION AMERICANS STUCK IN LOW-WAGE WORK, WE ALSO EXPANDED INTO NEW FIELDS BEYOND TECHNOLOGY, PROVING THAT OUR APPROACH WORKS ACROSS MULTIPLE IN-DEMAND CAREERS WHILE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR OUR NEXT CHAPTER OF GROWTH.SINCE OUR FIRST 15-PERSON PILOT IN 2018, MERIT AMERICA HAS SCALED DRAMATICALLY. IN APRIL 2024, THE ORGANIZATION SURPASSED 10,000 LEARNERS SERVED AND CLOSED THE YEAR WITH MORE THAN 14,000, REFLECTING BOTH STRONG DEMAND FOR OUR PROGRAM AND OUR ABILITY TO SCALE RESPONSIBLY.OUR LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CONFIRMS THAT OUR MODEL CONTINUES TO DELIVER STRONG RESULTS AT SCALE. ON AVERAGE, ALUMNI EXPERIENCE AN ANNUAL WAGE INCREASE OF $24,000 THREE OR MORE MONTHS POST-PROGRAM COMPLETION, NEARLY DOUBLING PRE-PROGRAM EARNINGS OF $26,000. OUR 80% COMPLETION RATE FAR OUTPACES THE SIX-YEAR NATIONAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE COMPLETION RATE OF 42%, FURTHER UNDERSCORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR MODEL.IN 2024, WE EXPANDED OUR PROGRAM OFFERINGS BY LAUNCHING CYBERSECURITY AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT CAREER TRACKS, JOINING IT SUPPORT, DATA ANALYTICS, AND UX DESIGN. THESE NEW TRACKS ADDRESS URGENT LABOR MARKET NEEDS, INCLUDING A SHORTAGE OF OVER 700,000 CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONALS AND 200,000 PROJECT MANAGERS ANNUALLY. LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025, WE ARE PREPARING TO EXPAND OUR CAREER TRACKS BEYOND TECH, OPENING EVEN MORE PATHWAYS TO ECONOMIC MOBILITY.OUR FINANCIAL ACCESSIBILITY MODEL REMAINS A CORNERSTONE OF OUR APPROACH. THROUGH THE GOOGLE CAREER CERTIFICATES FUND, THOUSANDS OF LEARNERS HAVE ACCESSED ASCENT FUNDING'S INNOVATIVE ZERO PERCENT LOAN, WHICH REQUIRES NO UPFRONT COSTS, CHARGES 0% INTEREST, AND ONLY REQUIRES REPAYMENT WHEN LEARNERS EARN AT LEAST $40,000 ANNUALLY. IN 2024, WE ALSO FORMALIZED OUR "OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL" INITIATIVE, ENSURING PROGRAM ACCESS FOR LEARNERS WHO DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE LOAN AND CANNOT OTHERWISE COVER THE COST OF THE PROGRAM.WE ALSO STRENGTHENED PARTNERSHIPS WITH EMPLOYERS AND FUNDERS TO BROADEN REACH AND DEEPEN IMPACT. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH LYFT AND INSTACART, CONNECTING OUR PROGRAMS TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DRIVERS AND SHOPPERS NATIONWIDE. A $15.6M REGIONAL INVESTMENT FROM CRANKSTART FOUNDATION TO EXPAND OUR IMPACT IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, EXPECTED TO GENERATE $200M IN WAGE GAINS. SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS FROM BLUE MERIDIAN PARTNERS AND ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP, PROVIDING CRITICAL FUNDING FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF OUR GROWTH.THE LAUNCH OF THE OPPORTUNITY COALITION, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AMERICA'S FRONTIER FUND FOUNDATION AND MAJOR FUNDERS, TO ADDRESS CRITICAL WORKFORCE SHORTAGES IN FRONTIER TECHNOLOGIES, SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING, AND SUPPLY CHAIN SECTORS.AS WE REFLECT ON 2024, WE ARE PROUD OF THE TRANSFORMATIVE RESULTS WE HAVE ACHIEVED WHILE LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH. WITH A STRONG TRACK RECORD, ROBUST PARTNERSHIPS, AND PROVEN OUTCOMES, MERIT AMERICA IS POISED TO SCALE TO TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE LEARNERS IN THE YEARS AHEAD - CONTINUING TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS AND UNLOCK OPPORTUNITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

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

  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 November 6, 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 December 2024.

    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 2019.

    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 November 4, 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.