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Ada Developers Academy

EIN 85-2275400 · Seattle, WA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak43 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

ADA DEVELOPERS ACADEMY'S MISSION IS TO PREPARE WOMEN AND GENDER-EXPANSIVE ADULTS TO BE SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS WHILE ADVOCATING FOR INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE WORK ENVIRONMENTS. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.ADA IS A NON-PROFIT, TUITION-FREE CODING SCHOOL PRIMARILY SERVING THE NEEDS OF BLACK, LATINE, INDIGENOUS AMERICANS, NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER, LGBTQIA+, AND LOW-INCOME PEOPLE. AFTER SIX MONTHS IN CLASS AND A FIVE-MONTH INTERNSHIP, STUDENTS ARE PREPARED TO BE JUNIOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS. OUR TUITION-FREE TRAINING PROGRAM INCLUDES A COLLABORATIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT, AND AN APPLIED LEARNING INTERNSHIP.

Income
$3.6 million
Spending
$5.2 million
Spent on programs
59%
Reserves
4.6 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 80%
Employees
24
Volunteers
39
Highest pay
$245,834, vp of corporate partnerships

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

Weak: 43 out of 100. Higher than 19% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 4.6 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 45% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 43% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 25% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    59% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 33 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 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    13 of 13 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 (3)
  1. $1.9 million spent. ADA'S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS HELPS TO CLOSE THE TECH SKILLS GAP AND CREATE MORE ACCESS TO ECONOMIC MOBILITY FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, ENSURING THEY ARE JOB-READY JUNIOR FULL-STACK ENGINEERS AND TECHNOLOGISTS. WE PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT TO ENSURE STUDENT SUCCESS. OVER 75% OF OUR STUDENTS COME FROM LOW-INCOME BACKGROUNDS. IN ADDITION TO MONTHLY STIPENDS FOR LIVING EXPENSES, ADA OFFERS A RANGE OF WRAP-AROUND SUPPORT, INCLUDING CHILDCARE STIPENDS, LOANER LAPTOPS AND WIFI HOTSPOTS, FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, MENTAL HEALTH THERAPY, 1:1 TUTORING, SUCCESS COACHES, A LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, INDUSTRY MENTORS, AI COACHING DURING THEIR JOB SEARCH, AND CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES.
  2. $973,483 spent. IN 2024, ADA SERVED 3,889 STUDENTS THROUGH OUR FREE PREPARATORY PROGRAM, BUILD & BUILD LIVE, WHICH TEACHES ADULT LEARNERS THE BASICS OF CODING. ADDITIONALLY, WE SERVED 137 STUDENTS THROUGH OUR CORE PROGRAM, AN IMMERSIVE, COST-FREE PROGRAM THAT COMBINES CLASSROOM TRAINING WITH AN EDUCATIONAL INTERNSHIP TO TEACH STUDENTS BOTH CODING AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SKILLS. THE CURRICULUM COVERS FULL-STACK WEB DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING PYTHON, SQL, FLASK, HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE FUNDAMENTALS, GEN AI WITH AN EMPHASIS ON INCLUSIVITY. OUR CORE PROGRAMS SERVE WOMEN AND GENDER-EXPANSIVE PARTICIPANTS, OF WHOM 72% ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR, 40% ARE RACIAL MINORITIES UNDERREPRESENTED IN TECH (BLACK, LATINE, INDIGENOUS, NATIVE HAWAIIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER), AND 34% ARE LGBTQIA+. THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS ARE LOW-INCOME, SEEKING TO BE RESKILLED AND LAUNCH CAREERS IN HIGH-EARNING, STABLE TECH CAREERS. TYPICALLY, 80-85% OF ADA'S STUDENTS ARE LOW-INCOME WHEN THEY ENTER OUR CORE PROGRAM.
  3. $232,479 spent. LATE 2024 ADA BEGAN WORK ON AI HOUSE, WHICH IS A DEDICATED COWORKING AND EVENT SPACE. THE SPACE WILL BE USED FOR ADA, AI2 INCUBATOR, AND OTHER GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE REGION TO BUILD TALENT AND SOLUTIONS THAT WILL FURTHER EXPAND SEATTLE'S REPUTATION. GOALS INCLUDE DEVELOPING TOP-TIER TALENT, SUPPORTING COMMUNITY COLLABORATION, CULTIVATING ENTREPRENEURS AND FOUNDERS, AND CREATING SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL HAVE HIRING AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT NEEDS.

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 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 December 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 January 2021.

    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.