Form 990 for tax year 2024

Totals

Total revenue

$5,796,081

Total expenses

$6,465,069

Contributions and grants received

$5,449,608

Grants paid

$0

Program service revenue

$340,707

Investment income

$21

Other revenue

$5,745

Total assets, end of year

$2,448,917

Total liabilities, end of year

$597,141

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$1,851,776

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$5,068,954

Management and general expenses

$1,105,309

Fundraising expenses

$290,806

Program service expenses (Part III)

$5,068,954

Program services were 78.4% 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

• EDUCATIONIN FY25, CFA CONTINUED ITS COMMITMENT TO BUILDING A STRONG EDUCATION SYSTEM THAT PREPARES EVERY CHILD TO SUCCEED AND THRIVE BY EXPANDING CAREER-CONNECTED PATHWAYS, ADVANCING STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING, AND STRENGTHENING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. CFA CONTINUED ADVANCING A SIX-YEAR FEDERAL EDUCATION INNOVATION AND RESEARCH PROJECT - CFA'S FIRST-EVER FEDERAL GRANT - MARKING A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE IN THE ORGANIZATION'S GROWTH AND NATIONAL CREDIBILITY. THE PROJECT ENGAGED 12 HIGH SCHOOLS AND SEVEN COMMUNITY COLLEGES ACROSS ARIZONA, WITH 345 STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN DESIGN CHALLENGES THAT INFORMED THE EXPANSION OF DUAL AND CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT AND IT AND CYBERSECURITY PATHWAYS. THE PROJECT REINFORCED A CLEAR LESSON: WHEN SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, AND EMPLOYERS COLLABORATE TO OFFER MEANINGFUL, REAL-WORLD OPPORTUNITIES, STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR EDUCATION AND CAREER PATHS. (CONT'D ON SCH O) CFA IS CARRYING THESE INSIGHTS FORWARD BY INTEGRATING THE FINDINGS INTO ITS EARLY COLLEGE WORK AND SHARING THE RESEARCH BROADLY TO INFORM PRACTICE AND SYSTEMS CHANGE ACROSS THE STATE. FOR DECADES, CFA HAS PLAYED A LEADING ROLE IN ADVANCING THE FUTURE OF LEARNING IN ARIZONA - ALWAYS WITH A FOCUS ON THE SUCCESS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL STUDENT. CFA WORKS ALONGSIDE SCHOOL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE STATE TO HELP MOVE EDUCATION BEYOND A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH, SUPPORTING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT RECOGNIZE STUDENTS' STRENGTHS, NEEDS, AND PATHWAYS. IN FY25, CFA ADVANCED THIS WORK BY SUPPORTING LEADERS, SCHOOL SYSTEMS, AND EDUCATORS AS THEY PUT STUDENT-CENTERED PRACTICES INTO ACTION. IN COLLABORATION WITH KNOWLEDGEWORKS, CFA LAUNCHED THE EMERGING LEADERS COHORT, SUPPORTING CURRENT AND ASPIRING LEADERS WITHIN THE ARIZONA PERSONALIZED LEARNING NETWORK. THE COHORT INCLUDES 20 PARTICIPANTS FROM DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE, STRENGTHENING LEADERSHIP CAPACITY TO ADVANCE EQUITABLE STUDENT OUTCOMES.CFA ALSO EXPANDED ACCESS TO PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THROUGH THE ARIZONA PERSONALIZED LEARNING NETWORK (PLN). WITH KNOWLEDGEWORKS AND THE ASU PREP DIGITAL VIRTUAL TEACHERS INSTITUTE, CFA OFFERED PLN EXPLORE, A SERIES OF NO-COST, ON-DEMAND MODULES AVAILABLE TO ANY ARIZONA EDUCATOR, WITH MORE THAN 300 MODULES COMPLETED TO DATE. IN ADDITION, THE THIRD PLN LAUNCH COHORT ENGAGED MORE THAN 200 EDUCATORS ACROSS 30 SCHOOL-BASED TEAMS, SUPPORTING IMPLEMENTATION OF PERSONALIZED, COMPETENCY-BASED PRACTICES THROUGH PEER LEARNING AND COLLABORATION.THIS YEAR, CFA EXPANDED THE BEAT THE ODDS SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (BTO) TO YUMA COUNTY, PARTNERING WITH YUMA ESD AND MOHAWK VALLEY ESD TO LAUNCH THE REGION'S FIRST COHORT. COHORTS IN PHOENIX AND PARADISE VALLEY ALSO CONCLUDED, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BTO PARTICIPANTS TO MORE THAN 460 LEADERS ACROSS EIGHT ARIZONA COUNTIES. THROUGH BTO, CFA EQUIPS LEADERS TO ALIGN VISION, PRACTICE, AND SYSTEMS IN WAYS THAT IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS.

  Expenses $3,007,054 · Revenue $269,007

• WORKFORCEIN FY25, CFA STRENGTHENED WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR STATE BY BRINGING TOGETHER EMPLOYERS, EDUCATORS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO HELP MORE ARIZONANS PREPARE FOR AND SUCCEED IN CAREERS THAT SUPPORT LONG-TERM ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. CFA CONTRIBUTED KEY DATA AND ANALYSIS TO ARIZONA TOWN HALL'S BUILDING ARIZONA'S WORKFORCE BACKGROUND REPORT, INCLUDING INSIGHTS ON UNTAPPED WORKERS, WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION, AND SECTOR-SPECIFIC TRENDS SUCH AS RETAIL. RELEASED IN APRIL 2025, THE REPORT IS SERVING AS THE FOUNDATION FOR VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON CONVERSATIONS ACROSS ARIZONA, HELPING COMMUNITIES BUILD SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW ARIZONANS WANT TO MEET WORKFORCE NEEDS AND SUSTAIN A VIBRANT ECONOMY.CFA ALSO ADVANCED EFFORTS TO BETTER CONNECT SKILLS, CREDENTIALS, AND EMPLOYMENT THROUGH AN INNOVATIVE LEARNING & (CONT'D ON SCH O) EMPLOYMENT RECORDS (LER) INITIATIVE. THE CURRENT PILOT BRINGS TOGETHER ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY'S MY SKILLS POCKET DIGITAL CREDENTIAL WALLET, PIPELINE CONNECT'S RECRUITMENT PLATFORM, AND ADULT LEARNERS AT RIO SALADO COLLEGE EARNING NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION FOUNDATION CREDENTIALS - CREATING ONE OF THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE TALENT MARKETPLACES IN THE NATION.COMPLEMENTING THE LER WORK, CFA IS PARTNERING WITH THE BURNING GLASS INSTITUTE TO IDENTIFY HIGH-DEMAND JOBS IN HEALTHCARE, CONSTRUCTION, AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND APPLY THE JOBS THAT MOBILIZE METHODOLOGY. THIS APPROACH FOCUSES ON FEEDER JOBS WITH TRANSFERABLE SKILLS, WIDENING THE APERTURE FOR POTENTIAL TALENT POOLS THAT MAY NOT REALIZE THEY ALREADY HAVE PATHWAYS TO HIGHER-DEMAND ROLES - WHILE HELPING EMPLOYERS ACCESS CANDIDATES THEY MAY HAVE PREVIOUSLY OVERLOOKED.CFA CONTINUES TO INVEST IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE SOUTHERN ARIZONA WORKFORCE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ASPEN INSTITUTE AND PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CFA LAUNCHED A SECOND COHORT OF 18 FELLOWS. THE ACADEMY BUILDS THE SKILLS AND NETWORKS LEADERS NEED TO DRIVE SYSTEMS CHANGE AND ADDRESS URGENT WORKFORCE CHALLENGES ACROSS SOUTHERN ARIZONA. FELLOWS WILL GRADUATE IN NOVEMBER 2025, STRENGTHENING REGIONAL CAPACITY TO ADVANCE COORDINATED, LONG-TERM WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS.

  Expenses $571,230 · Revenue $71,700

• THE ARIZONA WE WANTIN FY25, CFA CONTINUED ADVANCING THE ARIZONA WE WANT-- A SHARED VISION SHAPED BY THE VOICES AND PRIORITIES OF ARIZONANS BY ENGAGING LEADERS, SHARING DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS, AND CONVENING COMMUNITIES TO DRIVE ACTION ON THE ISSUES ARIZONANS AGREE MATTER MOST. CFA MOVED THE ARIZONA MEDIA INSTITUTE FROM VISION TO ACTION. SUPPORTED BY A $1 MILLION FOUNDING INVESTMENT, CFA FOCUSED ON BUILDING THE PARTNERSHIPS, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND DESIGN NEEDED FOR LONG-TERM, STATEWIDE IMPACT. A KEY MILESTONE WAS SECURING A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ARIZONA MEDIA ASSOCIATION AND LEADING ITS FIRST EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM. THE CONVENING INTRODUCED JOURNALISTS ACROSS THE STATE TO THE ARIZONA WE WANT, DEEPENED RELATIONSHIPS WITH NEWSROOMS, AND HELPED INFORM THE INSTITUTE'S CORE FEATURES. IN PARALLEL, CFA ADVANCED THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS OF THE MEDIA INSTITUTE - INCLUDING BUILDING A STATEWIDE INDEPENDENT SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT DATABASE, (CONT'D ON SCH O) PROGRESSING THE DESIGN OF A DIGITAL HUB WITH INTEGRATED DATA SOLUTIONS, AND FINALIZING KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AHEAD OF PUBLIC LAUNCH.AT A TIME WHEN ELECTIONS ARE OFTEN FRAMED BY DIVISION OR OUTCOMES ALONE, CFA WORKS TO ELEVATE ARIZONANS' SHARED PRIORITIES AND VALUES, HELPING INFORM PUBLIC DIALOGUE AND POLICY DECISIONS ACROSS THE STATE. AHEAD OF THE GENERAL ELECTION, CFA PARTNERED WITH ARIZONA PBS TO EXPAND PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF ARIZONA'S CIVIC SYSTEMS AND SHARED PUBLIC VALUES THROUGH TRUSTED PUBLIC MEDIA. AS PART OF THE PARTNERSHIP, ARIZONA PBS PRODUCED VOTER ED, A FIVE-EPISODE, DIGITAL-FIRST VIDEO SERIES OFFERING CONCISE EXPLANATIONS OF KEY CIVICS TOPICS IN ARIZONA. THE COLLABORATION ALSO INCLUDED SEVEN ISSUE-FOCUSED SEGMENTS INFORMED BY CFA'S GALLUP POLL OF ARIZONANS, WHICH AIRED ON ARIZONA HORIZON.AT THE LEAGUE OF ARIZONA CITIES AND TOWNS PRE-CONFERENCE SESSION, CFA ENGAGED MORE THAN 100 LOCAL LEADERS IN A CONVERSATION FOCUSED ON DRIVING POSITIVE OUTCOMES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. THIS YEAR'S SESSION CENTERED ON ELEVATING ARIZONANS' VOICES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ELECTION, HELPING LOCAL OFFICIALS UNDERSTAND WHAT RESIDENTS ACROSS THE STATE VALUE MOST AND HOW THOSE PRIORITIES CAN INFORM LOCAL DECISION-MAKING.CFA IS ADVANCING UNLOCKING ARIZONA'S POTENTIAL, A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND RETURN-ON-INVESTMENT REPORT CONNECTING SHARED VALUES TO MEASURABLE OUTCOMES, AND HAS BEGUN EARLY WORK ON THE 2026 ARIZONA VOTERS' AGENDA TO ENSURE ARIZONANS' PRIORITIES CONTINUE TO GUIDE DECISION-MAKING IN THE YEARS AHEAD.CFA'S ARIZONA PROGRESS METERS PROVIDE A TRUSTED FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING ARIZONA'S PROGRESS ACROSS KEY ISSUES AND HELPING LEADERS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITIES ALIGN AROUND SHARED PRIORITIES AND ACTION. CFA RELEASED UPDATED DATA ACROSS THE EDUCATION, CIVIC HEALTH, AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRESS METERS, PROVIDING LEADERS WITH TIMELY, TRUSTED INSIGHTS TO COMPARE TRENDS AND INFORM DECISION-MAKING STATEWIDE.

  Expenses $868,027

• CIVIC HEALTHIN FY25, CFA'S CIVIC HEALTH WORK FOCUSES ON HELPING ARIZONANS FEEL INFORMED, CONNECTED, AND EMPOWERED TO SHARE THE FUTURE OF THEIR COMMUNITIES. AT THE CENTER OF THIS WORK IS THE ARIZONA CIVIC LIFE PARTNERSHIP (ACLP), A COLLABORATION BETWEEN CFA AND THE ARIZONA CENTER FOR CIVIC LEADERSHIP AT THE FLINN FOUNDATION. ACLP BRINGS LEADERS TOGETHER TO ALIGN AROUND SHARED GOALS TO STRENGTHEN CIVIC CULTURE IN ARIZONA.THROUGH ACLP, CFA CONVENED REPRESENTATIVES FROM MORE THAN 20 ORGANIZATIONS STATEWIDE TO EXAMINE THE STATE OF CIVIC HEALTH USING NEWLY UPDATED ARIZONA CIVIC HEALTH PROGRESS METERS DATA. THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE HELPING IDENTIFY THE METRICS THAT MATTER MOST, SET SHARED TARGETS FOR PROGRESS, AND LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION THAT STRENGTHENS CONNECTION, PARTICIPATION, AND TRUST. ACLP HAS ALSO ELEVATED ARIZONA'S LEADERSHIP NATIONALLY. IN HABITS OF THE HEART AND MIND: HOW TO FORTIFY CIVIC CULTURE, A REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCES, CFA'S WORK IS FEATURED AS A LEADING EXAMPLE OF HOW LOCAL, DATA-INFORMED ACTION CAN STRENGTHEN CIVIC LIFE.CFA'S SCHOOL PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING (SPB) STRENGTHENS CIVIC HEALTH BY GIVING STUDENTS REAL OPPORTUNITIES TO PRACTICE DEMOCRACY AND SHARED DECISION-MAKING. THIS YEAR, CFA EXPANDED SPB'S REACH WHILE LAYING THE FOUNDATION TO SCALE AND SUSTAIN THE PROGRAM STATEWIDE. CFA DEVELOPED 14 NEW, STANDARDS-ALIGNED LESSON PLANS AND EXPANDED ACCESS THROUGH THE SPB INSTITUTE AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES, SUPPORTING EDUCATORS AS THEY IMPLEMENT PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING IN SCHOOLS. SPB ALSO EXPANDED TO YUMA, LAKE HAVASU, AND WEST VALLEY SCHOOLS, WHILE SUSTAINING LONG-STANDING PARTNERSHIPS IN CHANDLER, QUEEN CREEK, AND FLAGSTAFF.THROUGH THE GABE ZIMMERMAN PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS, CFA HONORS PUBLIC SERVANTS WHOSE LEADERSHIP REFLECTS INTEGRITY, COLLABORATION, AND A DEEP COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY WELL-BEING.

  Expenses $622,643

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

Listed in Part VII

• SYBIL FRANCIS

  PRESIDENT & CEO & CHAIRMAN

  Total calculated

  $281,358

  From this org

  $263,128

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $18,230

  Hours/week

  40

  Schedule J breakdown matched by us

  Base

  $263,128

  Bonus

  $0

  Other

  $0

  Deferred

  $18,230

  Nontaxable benefits

  $767

  Filer's total

  $282,125

• RUTH MCGREGOR

  VICE CHAIR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• KATE BAKER

  DIRECTOR (FROM JANUARY)

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• CARMEN HEREDIA

  DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• JILL HARRISON

  DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• PAUL LUNA

  DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• RON SHOOPMAN

  DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• GEORGE DEAN

  DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• LISA LOO

  DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• LORI HIGUERA

  DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• DAN COSTELLO

  DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• KATOSHA NAKAI

  DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  1

• ESMERALDA FRANCO

  SECRETARY/SENIOR AIDE

  Total calculated

  $62,565

  From this org

  $52,199

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $10,366

  Hours/week

  40

• LONA TEAGUE-TREASURER

  DIR. OF FISCAL & BUSINESS OPERATIONS

  Total calculated

  $146,717

  From this org

  $133,884

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $12,833

  Hours/week

  40

• AMANDA BURKE

  MANAGING DIRECTOR

  Total calculated

  $262,760

  From this org

  $223,970

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $38,790

  Hours/week

  40

  Schedule J breakdown matched by us

  Base

  $223,970

  Bonus

  $0

  Other

  $0

  Deferred

  $28,389

  Nontaxable benefits

  $10,401

  Filer's total

  $262,760

• AARON BALL

  COLLEGE & CAREER PATHWAYS

  Total calculated

  $179,973

  From this org

  $157,036

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $22,937

  Hours/week

  40

  Schedule J breakdown matched by us

  Base

  $146,842

  Bonus

  $10,194

  Other

  $0

  Deferred

  $18,336

  Nontaxable benefits

  $4,601

  Filer's total

  $179,973

• HOLLY KURTZ

  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

  Total calculated

  $155,315

  From this org

  $139,092

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $16,223

  Hours/week

  40

  Schedule J breakdown matched by us

  Base

  $139,092

  Bonus

  $0

  Other

  $0

  Deferred

  $9,640

  Nontaxable benefits

  $6,583

  Filer's total

  $155,315

• CYNTHIA ERWIN-HOGBERG

  COLLEGE & CAREER PATHWAYS

  Total calculated

  $156,997

  From this org

  $137,923

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $19,074

  Hours/week

  40

  Schedule J breakdown matched by us

  Base

  $137,923

  Bonus

  $0

  Other

  $0

  Deferred

  $16,933

  Nontaxable benefits

  $2,141

  Filer's total

  $156,997

• PETER BOYLE

  EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP/INNOVATION

  Total calculated

  $185,618

  From this org

  $165,080

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $20,538

  Hours/week

  40

  Schedule J breakdown matched by us

  Base

  $156,880

  Bonus

  $8,200

  Other

  $0

  Deferred

  $20,067

  Nontaxable benefits

  $471

  Filer's total

  $185,618

• HEATHER MARIE THORNTON

  STRATERGIC MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS

  Total calculated

  $151,389

  From this org

  $139,863

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $11,526

  Hours/week

  40

  Schedule J breakdown matched by us

  Base

  $139,863

  Bonus

  $0

  Other

  $0

  Deferred

  $9,860

  Nontaxable benefits

  $1,666

  Filer's total

  $151,389

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

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2024

Filed

14 May 2026

IRS schema version

2024v5.5

Source object

202601349349306785

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