The Center for Education Reform (CER) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC. Founded in 1993, it operates as a non-partisan education policy organization focused on expanding educational opportunities and advancing systemic education reform. The organization works to create conditions for innovation, freedom, and flexibility throughout U.S. education by engaging in advocacy, media outreach, policy work, event production, and connecting education innovators with investors and schools.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$5.7M
-75.2% YoY
Revenue
$11.7M
-73.9% YoY
Net Investment Income
$33K
+339.1% YoY
Expenses
$22.6M
-29.7% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans—particularly youth—ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education. The organization's mission is to give learners at all levels the opportunity to shape their education.
Primary Focus Areas:
- External Relations and Advocacy
- Communications and media outreach
- Education policy and reform
- Grantmaking and philanthropic administration
- Education innovation and acceleration
Grantmaking
CER administers the Yass Prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless Education, which provides financial awards to selected schools and education providers serving underserved populations. The organization also manages related grants under the Yass Foundation for Education.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CER's grant-making focuses primarily on Texas, Colorado, and Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent (2024):
- Total Revenue: $11,749,219
- Total Expenses: $22,559,312
- Total Assets: $5,733,799
- Total Liabilities: $1,733,000
- Number of Employees: 19
Tax-Exempt Status: Tax-exempt since March 1994 (EIN: 52-1847187)
Rating: Received a Three-Star rating with an 86% score based on Accountability & Finance metrics.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $5,733,799 | $23,095,278 | $14,753,313 |
| Revenue | $11,749,219 | $45,087,867 | $30,674,796 |
| Expenses | $22,559,312 | $32,087,026 | $30,411,654 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $32,803 | $7,471 | $7,754 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 0 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
71 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Center for Education Reform
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Founder and CEO: Jeanne Allen
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JEANNE ALLEN | FOUNDER AND CEO | 65 | $547,821 |
| DONALD HENSE | CHAIRMAN AND SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| MICHAEL MOE | CHAIRMAN & SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| MAGGIE ZULUETA | DIRECTOR & INTERIM TREASURER | 1 | — |
| KEVIN CHAVOUS | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| CHRIS WHITTLE | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JANINE YASS | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| MICHAEL MUSANTE | EXECUTIVE VP | 40 | $370,120 |
| ROBERT BLEVINS | COO | 40 | $411,379 |
| CAROLINE ALLEN | CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER | 40 | $146,461 |
| KATHERINE NELLIGAN | DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS | 40 | $138,029 |
| ALEXANDER AUDET | DIRECTOR OF DATA AND TECHNOLOGY | 40 | $125,656 |
| JOSEPHINA RAGO | SENIOR PARTNERSHIP MANAGER | 40 | $114,789 |
| THEODORE ALLEN | CREATIVE DIRECTOR | 30 | $104,682 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The $1 Million Yass Prize launched its 2026 competition
$1 Million Yass Prize Launches 2026 Competition - Center For Education ReformThe $1 Million Yass Prize launched its 2025 competition
$1 Million Yass Prize Launches 2026 Competition - Center For Education ReformOver $20 million invested to expand outstanding education models nationwide
Over $20 Million Invested to Expand Outstanding Education Models ...$10 Million STOP Awards Competition announced
$1 Million Yass Prize Launches 2026 Competition - Center For Education ReformThe STOP Awards Initiative has distributed more than $50 million since its 2021 inception
$10 Million STOP Awards Competition Announced - Center For Education ReformSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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