Totals
- Total revenue
- $61,425,877
- Total expenses
- $50,954,245
- Contributions and grants received
- $46,063,888
- Grants paid
- $530,624
- Program service revenue
- $14,345,608
- Investment income
- $1,014,887
- Other revenue
- $1,494
- Total assets, end of year
- $43,053,154
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $11,866,741
- Net assets or fund balances, end of year
- $31,186,413
- Program services expenses (Part IX)
- $47,296,713
- Management and general expenses
- $2,395,403
- Fundraising expenses
- $1,262,129
- Program service expenses (Part III)
- $47,296,713
Program services were 92.8% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.
Line items
Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.
Revenue
Part VIII, the statement of revenue.
-
1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants
$46,063,888
-
1g · Noncash contributions included above
$4,030,000
-
2a · Program service revenue: TUITION REPAYMENT/PLACEMENT FEES
total $14,345,608 · related or exempt $14,345,608
-
3 · Investment income
total $1,014,887 · excluded $1,014,887
-
11a · Other revenue: HONORARIUM
total $1,494 · related or exempt $1,494
-
11e · Other revenue, total
$1,494
Functional expenses
Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.
-
2 · Grants to domestic individuals
total $530,624 · program services $530,624
-
5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
total $1,465,029 · program services $1,146,616 · management and general $79,190 · fundraising $239,223
-
7 · Other salaries and wages
total $22,233,853 · program services $20,893,344 · management and general $631,776 · fundraising $708,733
-
8 · Pension plan contributions
total $677,886 · program services $630,434 · management and general $20,337 · fundraising $27,115
-
9 · Other employee benefits
total $3,989,305 · program services $3,710,054 · management and general $119,679 · fundraising $159,572
-
10 · Payroll taxes
total $1,809,456 · program services $1,682,794 · management and general $54,284 · fundraising $72,378
-
11b · Fees: legal
total $170,378 · management and general $170,378
-
11c · Fees: accounting
total $222,251 · program services $206,693 · management and general $6,668 · fundraising $8,890
-
11f · Fees: investment management
total $20,759 · management and general $20,759
-
11g · Fees: other
total $3,287,874 · program services $2,935,247 · management and general $320,850 · fundraising $31,777
-
12 · Advertising and promotion
total $14,034,871 · program services $14,034,871
-
13 · Office expenses
total $329,704 · program services $219,687 · management and general $100,568 · fundraising $9,449
-
14 · Information technology
total $1,097,513 · program services $1,097,513
-
16 · Occupancy
total $7,554 · program services $7,025 · management and general $227 · fundraising $302
-
17 · Travel
total $117,243 · program services $109,036 · management and general $3,517 · fundraising $4,690
-
19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings
total $538,917 · management and general $538,917
-
20 · Interest
total $196,666 · management and general $196,666
-
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization
total $39,724 · management and general $39,724
-
23 · Insurance
total $91,863 · management and general $91,863
-
24a · Other expenses: CURRICULUM
total $92,775 · program services $92,775
Balance sheet
Part X, book values.
-
1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing
beginning of year $28,604,341 · end of year $41,323,646
-
3 · Pledges and grants receivable
beginning of year $143,469 · end of year $215,000
-
4 · Accounts receivable
beginning of year $233,146 · end of year $146,920
-
7 · Other notes and loans receivable
beginning of year $702,245 · end of year $657,122
-
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges
beginning of year $705,731 · end of year $686,612
-
10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis
$150,194
-
10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation
$126,340
-
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net
beginning of year $63,578 · end of year $23,854
-
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses
beginning of year $1,805,174 · end of year $2,291,626
-
19 · Deferred revenue
beginning of year $1,222,123 · end of year $2,463,219
-
24 · Unsecured notes and loans payable
beginning of year $6,500,000 · end of year $6,500,000
-
25 · Other liabilities
beginning of year $182,084 · end of year $611,896
-
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions
beginning of year $20,373,065 · end of year $23,288,567
-
28 · Net assets with donor restrictions
beginning of year $370,064 · end of year $7,897,846
Mission and programs · 2024
Mission
TO PROVIDE A PATH TO SKILLED CAREERS FOR THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WITHOUT COLLEGE DEGREES.
-
IN 2024, MERIT AMERICA FOCUSED ON REFINING OUR PROVEN "TECH+ TOUCH" MODEL, BLENDING FLEXIBLE ONLINE LEARNING WITH WORLD-CLASS COACHING TO DELIVER TRANSFORMATIVE RESULTS AT SCALE. FUELED BY OUR MISSION TO BUILD A PATHWAY TO THE MIDDLE CLASS FOR THE 53 MILLION AMERICANS STUCK IN LOW-WAGE WORK, WE ALSO EXPANDED INTO NEW FIELDS BEYOND TECHNOLOGY, PROVING THAT OUR APPROACH WORKS ACROSS MULTIPLE IN-DEMAND CAREERS WHILE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR OUR NEXT CHAPTER OF GROWTH.SINCE OUR FIRST 15-PERSON PILOT IN 2018, MERIT AMERICA HAS SCALED DRAMATICALLY. IN APRIL 2024, THE ORGANIZATION SURPASSED 10,000 LEARNERS SERVED AND CLOSED THE YEAR WITH MORE THAN 14,000, REFLECTING BOTH STRONG DEMAND FOR OUR PROGRAM AND OUR ABILITY TO SCALE RESPONSIBLY.OUR LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CONFIRMS THAT OUR MODEL CONTINUES TO DELIVER STRONG RESULTS AT SCALE. ON AVERAGE, ALUMNI EXPERIENCE AN ANNUAL WAGE INCREASE OF $24,000 THREE OR MORE MONTHS POST-PROGRAM COMPLETION, NEARLY DOUBLING PRE-PROGRAM EARNINGS OF $26,000. OUR 80% COMPLETION RATE FAR OUTPACES THE SIX-YEAR NATIONAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE COMPLETION RATE OF 42%, FURTHER UNDERSCORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR MODEL.IN 2024, WE EXPANDED OUR PROGRAM OFFERINGS BY LAUNCHING CYBERSECURITY AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT CAREER TRACKS, JOINING IT SUPPORT, DATA ANALYTICS, AND UX DESIGN. THESE NEW TRACKS ADDRESS URGENT LABOR MARKET NEEDS, INCLUDING A SHORTAGE OF OVER 700,000 CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONALS AND 200,000 PROJECT MANAGERS ANNUALLY. LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025, WE ARE PREPARING TO EXPAND OUR CAREER TRACKS BEYOND TECH, OPENING EVEN MORE PATHWAYS TO ECONOMIC MOBILITY.OUR FINANCIAL ACCESSIBILITY MODEL REMAINS A CORNERSTONE OF OUR APPROACH. THROUGH THE GOOGLE CAREER CERTIFICATES FUND, THOUSANDS OF LEARNERS HAVE ACCESSED ASCENT FUNDING'S INNOVATIVE ZERO PERCENT LOAN, WHICH REQUIRES NO UPFRONT COSTS, CHARGES 0% INTEREST, AND ONLY REQUIRES REPAYMENT WHEN LEARNERS EARN AT LEAST $40,000 ANNUALLY. IN 2024, WE ALSO FORMALIZED OUR "OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL" INITIATIVE, ENSURING PROGRAM ACCESS FOR LEARNERS WHO DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE LOAN AND CANNOT OTHERWISE COVER THE COST OF THE PROGRAM.WE ALSO STRENGTHENED PARTNERSHIPS WITH EMPLOYERS AND FUNDERS TO BROADEN REACH AND DEEPEN IMPACT. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH LYFT AND INSTACART, CONNECTING OUR PROGRAMS TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DRIVERS AND SHOPPERS NATIONWIDE. A $15.6M REGIONAL INVESTMENT FROM CRANKSTART FOUNDATION TO EXPAND OUR IMPACT IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, EXPECTED TO GENERATE $200M IN WAGE GAINS. SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS FROM BLUE MERIDIAN PARTNERS AND ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP, PROVIDING CRITICAL FUNDING FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF OUR GROWTH.THE LAUNCH OF THE OPPORTUNITY COALITION, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AMERICA'S FRONTIER FUND FOUNDATION AND MAJOR FUNDERS, TO ADDRESS CRITICAL WORKFORCE SHORTAGES IN FRONTIER TECHNOLOGIES, SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING, AND SUPPLY CHAIN SECTORS.AS WE REFLECT ON 2024, WE ARE PROUD OF THE TRANSFORMATIVE RESULTS WE HAVE ACHIEVED WHILE LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH. WITH A STRONG TRACK RECORD, ROBUST PARTNERSHIPS, AND PROVEN OUTCOMES, MERIT AMERICA IS POISED TO SCALE TO TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE LEARNERS IN THE YEARS AHEAD - CONTINUING TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS AND UNLOCK OPPORTUNITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
Expenses $47,296,713 · Grants $530,624 · Revenue $14,347,102
As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.
Listed in Part VII
-
Connor Diemand-YaumanCONNOR DIEMAND-YAUMAN
CO-FOUNDER AND CO-CEO
- Total calculated
- $599,166
- From this org
- $532,311
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $66,855
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $400,703
- Bonus
- $131,608
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $47,185
- Nontaxable benefits
- $19,670
- Filer's total
- $599,166
-
Rebecca Taber StaehelinREBECCA TABER STAEHELIN
CO-FOUNDER AND CO-CEO
- Total calculated
- $596,948
- From this org
- $512,754
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $84,194
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $381,146
- Bonus
- $131,608
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $47,185
- Nontaxable benefits
- $37,009
- Filer's total
- $596,948
-
Anne KeenanANNE KEENAN
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
- Total calculated
- $335,839
- From this org
- $291,863
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $43,976
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $266,645
- Bonus
- $25,218
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $9,004
- Nontaxable benefits
- $34,972
- Filer's total
- $335,839
-
Ryan OuelletteRYAN OUELLETTE
CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER
- Total calculated
- $297,913
- From this org
- $273,994
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $23,919
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $247,873
- Bonus
- $26,121
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $8,176
- Nontaxable benefits
- $15,743
- Filer's total
- $297,913
-
Jennifer MazzonJENNIFER MAZZON
CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER
- Total calculated
- $309,252
- From this org
- $252,221
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $57,031
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $252,221
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $7,846
- Nontaxable benefits
- $49,185
- Filer's total
- $309,252
-
Meghan CressmanMEGHAN CRESSMAN
VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT
- Total calculated
- $292,528
- From this org
- $250,045
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $42,483
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $200,045
- Bonus
- $50,000
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $7,789
- Nontaxable benefits
- $34,694
- Filer's total
- $292,528
-
Leila Makarechi ChiefLEILA MAKARECHI CHIEF
BUS. OFFICER/CHIEF POLICY OFFICER
- Total calculated
- $282,371
- From this org
- $246,793
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $35,578
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $205,810
- Bonus
- $40,983
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $7,504
- Nontaxable benefits
- $28,074
- Filer's total
- $282,371
-
Lal Jones-BeyLAL JONES-BEY
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (THRU 8/24)
- Total calculated
- $268,916
- From this org
- $239,408
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $29,508
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $202,163
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $37,245
- Deferred
- $6,119
- Nontaxable benefits
- $23,389
- Filer's total
- $268,916
-
Norman AtkinsNORMAN ATKINS
DIRECTOR/ BOARD CHAIR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Byron AugusteBYRON AUGUSTE
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Naomi BagdonasNAOMI BAGDONAS
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Ahmmad BrownAHMMAD BROWN
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Rebecca LevinREBECCA LEVIN
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Yin LuYIN LU
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.
Schedule J
Answered yes
- 3 · Independent compensation consultant
- 3 · Compensation survey or study
- 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee
- 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
- 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
Answered no
- 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
- 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
- 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
- 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
- 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
- 7 · Other non-fixed payments
- 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception
The filer's explanations (Part III)
- PART I, LINE 4A
- ONE INDIVIDUAL REPORTED ON PART VII RECEIVED A SEVERANCE PAYMENT IN 2024. DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
- PART I, LINE 5
- EXECUTIVE BONUSES ARE ACCRUED AT THE END OF EACH YEAR BASED ON REVENUE AND PERFORMANCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS.
Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.
Grants on this return
No itemized grants to organizations on this return.
Provenance
- Return type
- form_990
- Tax year
- 2024
- Filed
- 12 November 2025
- IRS schema version
- 2024v5.2
- Source object
- 202503169349309415
Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.
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