Advanced Education Research & Development Fund
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
AERDF WILL CONDUCT INCLUSIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS SO THAT DIVERSE TEAMS OF EDUCATORS, RESEARCHERS AND DEVELOPERS CAN TACKLE INTRACTABLE TEACHING AND LEARNING CHALLENGES THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT BLACK AND LATINO STUDENTS, AND (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) STUDENTS OF ALL RACES EXPERIENCING POVERTY.
- Income
- $29.3 million
- Spending
- $37.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 90%
- Reserves
- 12 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 94%
- Employees
- 66
- Volunteers
- 7
- Highest pay
- $485,308, chief executive officer
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: 85 out of 100. Higher than 79% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 12.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 11% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 28% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 2% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1590% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 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 50% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 257 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 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 (4)
- $13.2 million spent. READING REIMAGINED IS OUR R&D PROGRAM THAT AIMS TO END ILLITERACY. WITH A FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF OLDER ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT READING AT GRADE LEVEL AND NEED TO DEVELOP FOUNDATIONAL READING SKILLS, READING REIMAGINED RESEARCHES AND DESIGNS CLASSROOM-READY SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT THE LINGUISTIC AND DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS OF OLDER ELEMENTARY READERS. READING REIMAGINED GENERATED PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH THAT CHALLENGED CONVENTIONAL LITERACY ASSUMPTIONS BY TACKLING ONE OF EDUCATION'S MOST PERSISTENT AND UNDERRESEARCHED BARRIERS, THE "DECODING THRESHOLD", THE POINT AT WHICH STUDENTS CAN RECOGNIZE AND SOUND OUT WORDS ACCURATELY AND EFFICIENTLY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ETS, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, AND 200,000+ LEARNERS. ALSO WITH STANFORD UNIVERSITY, READING REIMAGINED ACCELERATED THE (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) DEVELOPMENT OF A FREE LITERACY ASSESSMENT PLATFORM APPROVED AS A STATEWIDE READING SCREENER IN CALIFORNIA, MINNESOTA, AND OHIO THAT IS NOW AVAILABLE TO 40,000+ LEARNERS AND DEMONSTRATED BREAKTHROUGH-LEVEL EFFECT SIZES (COHEN'S D = 0.65-1.00) FOR A NOVEL INTERVENTION THAT HELPS OLDER ELEMENTARY STUDENTS PRACTICE BREAKING DOWN, IDENTIFYING WORDS, AND SPELLING WORDS WITH MULTIPLE SYLLABLES, PREFIXES, AND SUFFIXES.
- $7.6 million spent. EF+MATH IS OUR INAUGURAL R&D PROGRAM EXPLORING HOW STRENGTHENING STUDENTS' EXECUTIVE FUNCTION SKILLS CAN HELP STUDENTS MANAGE THEIR THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS, AND BEHAVIOR WHILE THEY LEARN MATH. WITH A FOCUS ON MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND COMPLEX PROBLEM-SOLVING, EF+MATH SEEKS TO CREATE INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING MATH THAT HELP ALL STUDENTS THRIVE. EF+MATH CREATED A NEW FIELD AT THE INTERSECTION OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND MATH LEARNING; PUBLISHED 70+ RESEARCH ARTICLES, AND CREATED AN EXTENSIVE STUDENT DATASET OF 10,000+ FOR ONGOING RESEARCH. THE EF+MATH SUPPORTED INVENTIONS DEMONSTRATED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT GAINS ACROSS 113 SCHOOLS AND 33 DISTRICTS THROUGH THREE OF ITS PROTOTYPES. THEY ARE SUPPORTED BY A CROSS-SECTOR COMMUNITY OF 700+ EDUCATORS AND RESEARCHERS (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) WHO'VE ENGAGED 18,000 STUDENTS ACROSS 42 DISTRICTS.
- $6.9 million spent. ASSESSMENT FOR GOOD IS OUR R&D PROGRAM THAT SEEKS TO TRANSFORM ASSESSMENTS. WITH A FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT TRANSITION PERIOD FROM AGES 8-13, ASSESSMENT FOR GOOD IS DEVELOPING ASSESSMENTS THAT DELIVER ACCURATE, MEANINGFUL DATA THAT GUIDES INSTRUCTION AND FOSTERS A MORE STUDENT-CENTERED EXPERIENCE AT THE SPEED OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, RATHER THAN AS A RETROSPECTIVE AUDIT. ASSESSMENT FOR GOOD PIONEERED A NEW APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT THAT MEASURES THE SKILLS LEARNERS APPLY TO POWER THEIR LEARNING, INCLUDING METACOGNITION, COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING, AND ADAPTIVE THINKING, PLUS TECHNICAL SKILLS, LIKE THE MECHANICS OF READING, INVENTED NEW ANALYTICAL APPROACHES (A "NEW MATH" OF ASSESSMENT) TO MAKE SENSE OF THE COMPLEX DATA FROM THIS NEW APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT, PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) EACH LEARNER WHEN EDUCATORS NEED IT AND SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT SELF-DIRECTED STUDENT LEARNING. AND WHILE USING CUTTING EDGE MACHINE LEARNING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, ASSESSMENT FOR GOOD REDUCED TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTION (OR ITEM) DEVELOPMENT BY 75% AND EXPANDED THE POOL OF ITEMS BY 167% IN SIX MONTHS. THE ORGANIZATION DEVELOPED FOUR NEW INTERACTIVE ASSESSMENT INTERFACES THAT INTRODUCE CONVERSATIONAL (OR DIALOGIC) ASSESSMENT THROUGH TEXT CHATS, FUNDAMENTALLY SHIFTING FROM TRADITIONAL TESTING TO NATURAL LEARNING EXPLORATION, ENGAGING OVER 15,000 LEARNERS SO FAR.
- $5.8 million spent. ENTEPRISE PROVIDES PROGRAMATIC SUPPORT TO ITS PROGRAMS BY ACTING AS A BACKBONE IN SUPPORT OF THE ENTIRE RESEARCH OPERATIONS. ENTERPRISE PROVIDES CENTRALIZED SUPPORT IN AREAS LIKE PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT, COMPLIANCE WITH FUNDER REGULATIONS, FREEING RESEARCHERS TO FOCUS ON THEIR WORK. ADDITIONAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT COMES FROM THE PROVISION OF SHARED RESOURCES, SUCH AS A DEDICATED IT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SECURE DATA COLLECTION, LEGAL SUPORT TO ENSURE INFORMED CONSENT AND MAINTAIN PARTICIPANT PRIVACY, A HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT TO MANAGE STAFFING AND TALENT ACQUISITION FOR PROGRAM TEAMS, AND A COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE TO HANDLE EXTERNAL DISSEMINATION AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 2021.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.