Form 990 for tax year 2024

Totals

Total revenue

$6,392,528

Total expenses

$9,438,218

Contributions and grants received

$4,290,848

Grants paid

$1,255,704

Program service revenue

$1,966,438

Investment income

$102,436

Other revenue

$32,806

Total assets, end of year

$13,150,519

Total liabilities, end of year

$2,198,612

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$10,951,907

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$7,896,273

Management and general expenses

$1,180,301

Fundraising expenses

$361,644

Program service expenses (Part III)

$7,896,273

Program services were 83.7% 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.

Mission and programs · 2024

• Organizational Development and Leadership- Tri-Executive Shared Leadership Model: In a bold step towards long-term sustainability and embracing diverse perspectives, CFJ welcomed Jessica Black and Jessenia Reyes, establishing a three-person executive team with Mauro Sifuentes. This team brings expertise across organizing and narrative, policy and partnerships, capacity building, and research in public education.- Refined Internal Structures: CFJ worked to improve internal structures for greater alignment and efficiency across its programmatic departments.- Formalized Policy Team: A dedicated policy team was formalized to drive a robust policy platform that strengthens California's public education system.- Created Research and Evaluation Team: A new team was created with the mission to amplify student voices, track CFJ's progress, and share the impact of our work. These new teams collaborate with organizing and capacity-building efforts, ensuring all work is rooted in student leadership.

  Expenses $7,896,273 · Grants $1,255,704 · Revenue $1,966,438

• Key Issues and Advocacy Focus CFJ remained dedicated to defending equitable, accessible, inclusive, and high-quality public education, particularly for Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. Our work in 2024 actively addressed several critical issues affecting youth in California schools:- Disproportionate Harm to Youth of Color: Black and Brown youth continue to face a system that fails to meet their needs, creating barriers to academic and personal growth.- Lack of Diverse Teachers: Despite 78% of California students being students of color, only 35% of teachers identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), impacting education quality and student engagement.- Police Presence in Schools: The increasing presence of police is seen as contributing to a culture of criminalization rather than support, especially for students of color, exacerbating the school-to-prison pipeline.- Lack of Youth Voice: The voices of youth, especially from marginalized communities, are often excluded from crucial conversations impacting their education and future.- School Closures: Due to the pandemic, divestments, legal decisions, and economic shifts, there was an increase in public school closures, disproportionately affecting communities of color and low-income neighborhoods.- Youth Mental Health Crisis: Schools need to provide more support and resources to help youth navigate mental health challenges.- Need for Equitable Resources and Transformative Education: There is a call for an education that prepares youth for life, leadership, and change, alongside access to proper materials, resources, and staff support.

• Youth Engagement and Impact Metrics CFJ's vision is centered on empowering youth voice and elevating youth power. In 2024, we demonstrated this commitment through various programs and achievements:- Youth Priorities Survey: After surveying 417 students across the state, CFJ youth members identified key priorities for their educational experience. The majority of youth agreed that youth voice is critical to: Budgets (77%), Curriculum (73%), School Policies (77%), School Climate (81%), and School Board Elections (72%).- Broad Youth Engagement: 300 studentscomprising active leaders, interns, and core memberswere engaged in CFJs organizing and advocacy efforts across its four regions: Oakland, San Jose, Fresno, and Long Beach.- Leadership Skill Growth: Over 90% of students reported that their leadership, organizing, and advocacy skills grew as a result of their participation in CFJs leadership programs.- Program Participation: 150 students participated in the Summer Youth Leadership Academy (SYLA) and the statewide Student Leadership Retreat (SLR). - SYLA 2024: 40% of participants were first-time attendees, while 40% were returning participants. Feedback from SYLA 2024 participants was generally positive, with reported growth in leadership skills, political knowledge, and confidence. Topics like Palestine, anti-blackness, and capitalism were appreciated. Some areas for improvement included the application process, paperwork, and session organization. - SLR 2024: 34% of participants were new, and 66% were returning.- Oakland Youth Vote Win: In 2024, CFJ, in coalition with community partners, celebrated a historic victory where Oakland youth gained the ability to vote in their school board elections. This achievement was the result of years of coalition work following the passage of Measure QQ in 2020.- Legislative Advocacy in Capitol: CFJ began rebuilding its practice of youth power building at the State Capitol in 2024. - Six youth leaders represented CFJ at their first Youth Power Capitol Day, establishing 14 legislative connections. - These youth leaders presented and advocated for three bills, with two advancing to the next legislative stage and one being signed into law. - The signed bill, SB483, prohibits the use of "prone restraint," a harmful physical restraint, in school settings, contributing to the transformation of schools into places of healing and opportunity.- Working to Amplify the Voices of Youth (WAVY): The WAVY program in Fall 2024 aimed to introduce new members to CFJ's work, deepen leadership skills for returning members, and provide opportunities for interns to practice outreach and facilitation. Key sessions included Community Organizing 101, Youth-Led Democracy, Solidarity, Intersectionality, Racial Justice, and understanding CFJ's leadership pathway.

• Continued Commitment Looking ahead, CFJ remains committed to advancing public education as a cornerstone of a just society, grounded in student voice, racial equity, and multiracial solidarity. We plan to continue listening to students and partners, empowering staff, and building solidarity across California. Our areas of attention for 2025 include curriculum design to balance knowledge and skill-building, streamlining logistics, prioritizing Black, Indigenous, and Youth of Color (BIYOC), and fostering stronger cross-regional community building.

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

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

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

• Public Advocates Inc

  $226,650

  Regrants - Program services

• Inland Congregations ICUC

  $167,337

  Regrants - Program services

• Sacramento Area Congregations

  $167,337

  Regrants - Program services

• Catalyst California

  $133,204

  Regrants - Program services

• Orange County Congregation

  $132,338

  Regrants - Program services

• Action Council of Monterey Co

  $128,225

  Regrants - Program services

• The Education Trust Inc

  $93,000

  Regrants - Program services

• InnerCity Struggle

  $53,550

  Regrants - Program services

• True North Organizing Network

  $52,338

  Regrants - Program services

• Community Coalition

  $48,225

  Regrants - Program services

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2024

Filed

9 October 2025

IRS schema version

2024v5.2

Source object

202522829349300812

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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