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Junior Achievement of San Diego County

EIN 95-1727087 · San Diego, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair52 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY IS PART OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO GIVING YOUNG PEOPLE THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THEY NEED TO OWN THEIR ECONOMIC SUCCESS, PLAN FOR THEIR FUTURE, AND MAKE SMART ACADEMIC AND ECONOMIC CHOICES. OUR FINANCIAL LITERACY, WORK READINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS EMPOWER STUDENTS TO MAKE A CONNECTION BETWEEN WHAT THEY LEARN IN SCHOOL AND HOW IT CAN BE APPLIED IN THE REAL WORLD. THIS ENHANCES THE RELEVANCE OF THEIR CLASSROOM LEARNING AND INCREASES THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE VALUE OF STAYING IN SCHOOL.

Income
$3.7 million
Spending
$3.6 million
Spent on programs
71%
Reserves
-0.6 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 59%
Employees
69
Volunteers
4,792
Highest pay
$329,793, president & ceo

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

Fair: 52 out of 100. Higher than 15% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    0 of 35

    Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 30% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    12 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 1% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 9% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    71% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 15 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: 90 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    34 of 34 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

    0 of 10

    Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, 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 (3)
  1. $1.1 million spent. THE MCGRATH FAMILY JA BIZ-TOWN IS A 10,000 SQ. FOOT MINI-CITY IN WHICH KIDS DISCOVER HOW THE "REAL WORLD" WORKS. SAN DIEGO COUNTY 5TH GRADERS BECOME JA BIZTOWN "CITIZENS" WHERE THEY WORK IN ONE OF 21 BUSINESSES, MAKE FINANCIAL DECISIONS, PAY TAXES AND DONATE TO CHARITY.AFTER FOUR WEEKS OF CLASSROOM LESSONS, STUDENTS COME TO JA BIZTOWN FOR THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE OF THEIR LIVES. EACH CITIZEN HAS A JOB FOR THE DAY, GETS PAID TWICE, MANAGES A CHECKING ACCOUNT, SHOPS, GETS HEALTH CHECK-UPS, MAY BE INTERVIEWED ON TV AND MUCH MORE. THE TIME SPENT AT JA BIZTOWN MAY BE ONLY ONE DAY, BUT THE IMPACT THAT THIS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROVIDES WILL LAST A LIFETIME
  2. $997,009 spent. JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN-CLASSROOM PROGRAMS REACH YOUNG PEOPLE IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE WITH ENGAGING, EXPERIENTIAL PROGRAMS BASED UPON OUR THREE PILLARS OF STUDENT SUCCESS: WORK READINESS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FINANCIAL LITERACY. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM: ENGAGING THEMES HELP K-5 STUDENTS LEARN ECONOMIC CONCEPTS THROUGH THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM. MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM: HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT REINFORCE THE VALUE OF GLOBAL WORKFORCE READINESS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY. THESE PROGRAMS BUILD ON CONCEPTS STUDENTS LEARNED IN JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS, AND HELP PRE-TEENS MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT HOW TO BEST PREPARE FOR THEIR EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL FUTURE. HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM: HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS HELP STUDENTS MAKE INFORMED, INTELLIGENT DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR FUTURE AND FOSTER SKILLS THAT WILL BE USEFUL IN THE BUSINESS WORLD. WITH A RANGE OF PROGRAMS, JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT TEACHES ABOUT CONCEPTS RELATING TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP, FINANCIAL LITERACY AND GLOBAL WORKFORCE READINESS. THE VOLUNTEERS BRING REAL-LIFE BUSINESS EXPERIENCE AND GUIDANCE INTO THE CLASSROOM AT A TIME THAT REPRESENTS AN ESSENTIAL CROSSROADS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
  3. $531,703 spent. MISSION FED JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT FINANCE PARK UTILIZES THE MOST CURRENT TECHNOLOGY TO TEACH TEENS HOW TO MAKE INTELLIGENT, INFORMED FINANCIAL AND CAREER DECISIONS THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME. STUDENTS TAKE A CAREER ASSESSMENT, SELECT A JOB FROM THE CAREER CENTER AND THEN GO THROUGH SEVERAL DECISION-MAKING EXERCISES TO CREATE A PERSONAL BUDGET FOR THE PERSONA THEY ARE ASSIGNED FOR THE DAY.

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 November 6, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Worth knowing.

    Not individually listed by the IRS as eligible, which is usual for local chapters covered by a parent organization's exemption. The master file records contributions to it as deductible.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, 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 May 1994.

    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.