Academy for Urban School Leadership logo

Academy for Urban School Leadership

Public charity · Grantmaker Chicago, IL EIN: 36-4447457 Website

Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) is a nonprofit organization that recruits, trains and supports new teachers in underserved communities to ensure every student has a great teacher and a transformative education.

Key facts about Academy for Urban School Leadership

EIN
36-4447457
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025
Total assets
$9,826,029

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing

Total Assets

$9.8M

-2.5% YoY

Revenue

$9.7M

-7.1% YoY

Net Investment Income

$346K

+12.7% YoY

Expenses

$10.0M

+2.4% YoY

How Academy for Urban School Leadership gives

  • Giving fell 91% from 2020 to 2023. Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.

About Academy for Urban School Leadership

Based on IRS filings

Academy for Urban School Leadership is a public charity focused on Education, based in Chicago, IL. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $9.8M in total assets. Net investment income was $346K.

Focus Areas

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

1state

States

Cities

Chicago

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M1 grant2019 1 grant2020 1 grant2021 1 grant2022 1 grant2023 0 grants2024 0 grants2025

From 2019 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $96K (2023) to $1.7M (2019). In 2023 it made 1 grant totaling $96K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Grant Size Distribution

3 grants across all recorded years

<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K2$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was in the $500K–1M range: 2 grants of 3 (67%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for 2025.

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$5M$10M$15M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$9,826,029$10,081,820$9,448,227
Revenue$9,688,015$10,429,338$9,535,591
Expenses$9,995,634$9,761,530$8,981,787
Net Investment Income$345,657$306,824$176,153

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 25, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 9, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 7, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 27, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 30, 2024)
  6. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Academy for Urban School Leadership is led by Adam Case, Executive Director on every filing since 2024; 12 of 26 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Adam Case

    Executive Director

    On filings since 2024

    40 hrs/week

    $115K (2025)

  • Brian Doyal

    Finance Committee Chair

    Director → Finance Committee Chair, 2022

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Cardelle Spangler

    Chair

    Director → Co-Chair, 2021

    Co-Chair → Chair, 2022

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Michael Whitmore

    Managing Director & Teachin

    Managing Director & Teachin → Managing Director, Teaching & Learning, 2023

    Managing Director, Teaching & Learning → Managing Director & Teachin, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    40 hrs/week

    $225K (2019) → $214K (2025)

  • Shane Caterino

    Director of External Affai

    Managing Director & Externa → Director of External Affairs, 2023

    Director of External Affairs → Director of External Affai, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    40 hrs/week

    $135K (2019) → $210K (2025)

  • Kathryn Peterson

    Director & Chicago Teacher

    Director of Chicago Teacher Residency → Director & Chicago Teacher Residency, 2024

    Director & Chicago Teacher Residency → Director & Chicago Teacher, 2025

    On filings since 2023

    40 hrs/week

    $108K (2023) → $126K (2025)

  • Sarah Cohen

    Program Director & Liberated Way

    New on the 2025 filing

    40 hrs/week

    $120K (2025)

  • Craig Goesel

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • James Cowie

    Director

    Director → Advisory Services Co-Chair, 2022

    Advisory Services Co-Chair → Director, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Zaid Abdul-Aleem

    Director

    Governance & Nominating Chair → Governance & Nominating, 2023

    Governance & Nominating → Director, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Steve Pemberton

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jennifer Chuang

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Arnie Rivera

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Drew Beres

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Joey Wise

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Donald Feinstein

    Former Executive Director

    Executive Director → Former Executive Director, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    40 hrs/week

    $250K (2019) → $267K (2025)

  • Martin Green

    General Manager of Advisor

    General Manager & Advisory → General Manager of Advisory Services, 2023

    General Manager of Advisory Services → General Manager of Advisor, 2025

    On filings since 2021

    40 hrs/week

    $165K (2021) → $169K (2025)

  • Amy Jackson

    Chief Financial Officer

    Treasurer & Director of Finance → Chief Financial Officer, 2023

    On filings since 2022

    40 hrs/week

    $101K (2022) → $147K (2025)

  • Mary McKiernan

    Chief People Officer

    On filings since 2023

    40 hrs/week

    $142K (2023) → $159K (2025)

  • Christine Diaz

    Leadership Development Par

    Leadership Development Partner → Leadership Development Par, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    40 hrs/week

    $112K (2024) → $116K (2025)

  • Emily Herrick

    Learning & Development Leader

    New on the 2025 filing

    40 hrs/week

    $121K (2025)

  • Jacob Pieczynski

    Vice President Marketing & Communications

    New on the 2025 filing

    40 hrs/week

    $114K (2025)

  • Lindsey Axel

    Vice Chair

    Vice Chair → Vice Chair, Co-Chair Marketing & Communications, 2024

    Vice Chair, Co-Chair Marketing & Communications → Vice Chair, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Martin Koldyke

    Chair Emeritus

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Robert E. King

    Emeritus Director

    Director → Emeritus Director, 2024

    On filings since 2019

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jacqueline Jodl

    Advisory Services Co-Chair

    Director → Advisory Services Co-Chair, 2022

    On filings since 2021

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (38)
  • Former: Anthony Miller (2019–2024) — Director
  • Former: Greg Wasson (2019–2024) — Director
  • Former: Munu Ghandi (2019–2024) — Marketing & Communications C
  • Former: Cheri Carter (2021–2024) — Director
  • Former: Anna Piepmeyer (2023–2024) — Director
  • Former: Shelby Hildreth (2023–2024) — Chief Program Officer
  • Former: Antigone Blackwell (2024) — Senior Director & Major Gifts
  • Former: Ulric Shannon (2024) — Director & Partner Engagement
  • Former: Annise Lewis (2019–2023) — Director of School Leadership
  • Former: Eric Strobel (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Michael Zafirovski (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Scott Macdonald (2019–2023) — Former Managing Director, Strategy & Operations
  • Former: Tosha Jackson (2021–2023) — Chief of Schools
  • Former: Shannon Ulric (2022–2023) — Director of Partner Engage
  • Former: David Chandler (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Jarvis Sanford (2019–2022) — Managing Director & School
  • Former: Kenneth W Miller (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Theodore Dysart (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: William Lutz (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Cynthia Brunswick (2020–2022) — Director, Curriculum & Inst
  • Former: Raj Vora (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Christopher G Childers (2021–2022) — Chief Marketing Officer
  • Former: Amy Kitzmiller (2019–2021) — Treasurer & Director of Finance
  • Former: Benjamin Shapiro (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Carmita Semaan (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Charlie Rose (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Elizabeth Lefkofsky (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: John Cook (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Joseph Flanagan (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Keisha Campbell (2019–2021) — Director of Student Achievement
  • Former: Manuel Sanchez (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Jessica Skwir (2019–2020) — Director of School Leadership
  • Former: Cleophas Rodgers (2020) — Director Advisory Services
  • Former: Angel Turner (2019) — Director of School Leaders
  • Former: Gary McCullough (2019) — Chairman
  • Former: John Blazey (2019) — Director
  • Former: Nivine Megahed (2019) — Director
  • Former: Shana Hayes (2019) — Managing Director & Externa

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Donald Feinstein — Former Executive Director: $267KDonald FeinsteinFormer Executive Director$267KMichael Whitmore — Managing Director, Teachin: $214KMichael WhitmoreManaging Director, Teachin$214KShane Caterino — Director of External Affai: $210KShane CaterinoDirector of External Affai$210KMartin Green — General Manager of Advisor: $169KMartin GreenGeneral Manager of Advisor$169KMary McKiernan — Chief People Officer: $159KMary McKiernanChief People Officer$159KAmy Jackson — Chief Financial Officer: $147KAmy JacksonChief Financial Officer$147KKathryn Peterson — Director, Chicago Teacher: $126KKathryn PetersonDirector, Chicago Teacher$126KEmily Herrick — Learning and Development Leader: $121KEmily HerrickLearning and Development Leader$121KSarah Cohen — Program Director, Liberated Way: $120KSarah CohenProgram Director, Liberated Way$120KChristine Diaz — Leadership Development Par: $116KChristine DiazLeadership Development Par$116KAdam Case — Executive Director: $115KAdam CaseExecutive Director$115KJacob Pieczynski — VP Marketing and Communications: $114KJacob PieczynskiVP Marketing and Communications$114K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $267K, to Donald Feinstein (Former Executive Director). 12 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Frequently asked questions about Academy for Urban School Leadership

How large is Academy for Urban School Leadership?

Academy for Urban School Leadership reported $9.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $9.7M.

What is Academy for Urban School Leadership?

Academy for Urban School Leadership is a public charity focused on Education, based in Chicago, IL. It holds $9.8M in total assets as of 2025.

Where does Academy for Urban School Leadership operate?

Academy for Urban School Leadership has awarded grants in Illinois.

What is Academy for Urban School Leadership's EIN?

Academy for Urban School Leadership's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4447457. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.

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