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Passes our checks

Bay Education Fund

EIN 87-4788862 · Oakland, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood76 out of 100GovernanceGood80 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Build a community investment fund that catalyzes local movements and transforms district capacity by bringing together families,communities, teachers, district leaders, and philanthropy to co-design a vision for students and implement proven solutions for change in schools.

Income
$5.7 million
Spending
$5.8 million
Spent on programs
78%
Reserves
6.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 100%
Employees
11
Volunteers
2
Highest pay
$328,672, managing partner

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: 76 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 6.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 11% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 12% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    78% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 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

Good: 80 out of 100. Higher than 38% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    5 of 25

    2 of 4 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 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 (5)
  1. $2.8 million spent. South San Francisco: In close partnership with South San Francisco Unified School District and community leaders, crafted a comprehensive strategy to make the communitys student vision a reality. The board adopted this strategy with enthusiastic support from the community, and the district has aligned its goals, budget, and staffing resources to the plan. We continue supporting the strategic plans goals through capacity building and partnerships with best-in-class providers who are transforming instruction to be high-quality and student-centered. We continued to train and support family leaders who provided critical input to the strategic plan.
  2. $1.0 million spent. Ravenswood: Building on the Ravenswood Learner Profile, which engaged over 1,100 students, families, educators, and community leaders to set a unified vision for students, we supported the development of a Community Action Plan, which translated the vision into clear goals and areas for focused improvement. Additionally, over 50 family members participated in our leadership fellowship to deepen their understanding of achievement and opportunity gaps, how school systems work, research about effective schools, and what students need to thrive.
  3. $453,003 spent. Cambiar Fellowship: In partnership with Cambiar Education, we launched a fellowship for 19 school district leaders in the Bay Area. This leaders met throughout the year to deepen their understanding of best practices, solve problems of practice together, and strengthen relationships across the Bay.
  4. $163,758 spent. Program Development: We continue to evaluate and codify our work to effectively share learnings with others. Weve documented lessons learned and how theyve improved our practices.
  5. $82,243 spent. San Mateo-Foster City:We launched our third partnership with the San Mateo Foster City School District. To prepare for this, we spoke with over 70 community leaders to ensure they bought into our approach and learn about what they want to see for their students and schools.

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

  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 June 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 July 2022.

    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.