Minnesota · Nonprofit
Minnesota Association of Charter Schools
Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (Minnesota) receives grants from 3 organizations whose IRS filings report $45,000 to it, the largest being SAINT PAUL & MINNESOTA FOUNDATION ($20,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $615k
- Funders on record
- 3
- Grants received
- $45k
- Net assets
- $548k
What Minnesota Association of Charter Schools does
Mission
The MN Association of Charter Schools, as a membership organization, advocates for fair and just education policies for students in charter schools, supports charter school innovation, quality, and accountability, and facilitates cooperation in Minnesota's charter school community to promote equitable opportunities and excellence in education for students.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2024 return the organization reported starting a significant new program.
The program services did not change significantly in prior year, but the organization expanded on each of the services they provided.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 2).
Membership dues are available to charter schools which are used to help advocate for charter school policy issues, supports charter school innovation, quality and accountability, and facilitate cooperation in Minnesota's charter school community to assure excellence in education for our students. In the fiscal year, there were around 170 operating charter schools and 12 operating charter school authorizers. Of those, roughly 110 operating charter schools are Member Schools and 9 operating charter authorizers are Associate Members.
$536,217 spent$507,303 earned by the program100% of program spendingThe organization provides a variety of training and professional development programs tailored to the needs of charter school leaders, educators, and board members. The programs typically focus on board training, leadership development, advocacy training, professional development for educators, and legal and compliance training. The organization had an estimated 1,800 participants across roughly 90 trainings and informational sessions (in person and online).
$56,765 earned by the programThe organization organizes a variety of conferences and meeting events aimed at supporting and connecting charter school stakeholders. These events include participating in conferences, hosting public policy forums, Charter School Day at the Capitol, leadership forums, networking events, and special topic seminars. Multiple different seasonal awards such as Innovation, Leadership, Charter Advocacy, and more are provided throughout the year in recognition of accomplishments, achievements, or excellence in a particular field of endeavor. MACS hosted 2,700 participants across roughly 65 events, meetings, and sessions (in person and online).
$23,444 earned by the programThe Organization administered a Corporate Sponsorship Program that engaged 30 corporate sponsors supporting the charter school community. The program connected businesses, consultants, vendors, and individual professionals with charter school leaders, providing sponsors with meaningful opportunities to demonstrate their commitment to charter education while promoting their services and expanding professional networks. Sponsorship support enhanced the Organization's ability to deliver programs, resources, and events that strengthen collaboration and capacity across the charter school sector.
$20,642 earned by the program
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $536,217.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2023 to 2024, from $549k to $637k (+16%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
0% of Minnesota Association of Charter Schools’s revenue is contributions — more earned-revenue than three-quarters of its peers (57% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Joey Cienian
Executive Director
Board chair
Shelly Pierson Evans
Board Chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2018 → 2021: the base held at 1 funder, grant income rose $10k → $20k.
1 of 3 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 44% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of Minnesota Association of Charter Schools’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
Minnesota Association of Charter Schools leans on a few funders — its largest provides 44% of grant income and the top three 100%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
89% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund Minnesota Association of Charter Schools.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2018 100% · 2019 67% · 2021 100% — broadly stable.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
100% of Minnesota Association of Charter Schools's grant income comes from Minnesota funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $20k arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
Minnesota Association of Charter Schools is better cushioned than half of the 16,849 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 16,849 education nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2025
Organizations like Minnesota Association of Charter Schools
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Minnesota
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
80% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for Minnesota Association of Charter Schools: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds Minnesota Association of Charter Schools?
- Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (Minnesota) receives grants from 3 organizations whose IRS filings report $45,000 to it, the largest being SAINT PAUL & MINNESOTA FOUNDATION ($20,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does Minnesota Association of Charter Schools have?
- IRS filings report 3 organizations giving $45,000 in grants to Minnesota Association of Charter Schools, 1 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of Minnesota Association of Charter Schools?
- SAINT PAUL & MINNESOTA FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $20,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like Minnesota Association of Charter Schools find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Minnesota. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Minnesota Association of Charter Schools →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 3 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing