Non-profit

A Better Chance

Website:

www.abetterchance.org

Tax ID:

23-7173492

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2019):

Revenue: $3,658,243
Expenses: $4,986,248
Assets: $12,684,460

Location:

New York, New York

Type:

Youth Scholarship Program

Founded:

1963

CEO and President:

Francisco Tezén

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A Better Chance (ABC) is a program that identifies and places select ethnic minority students in grades 4 through 9 into one of more than 200 college preparatory schools, with the intent to create more diversity in those graduating from elite colleges and universities.

ABC is a nonprofit funded by organizations such as the Tides Foundation, American Express, Morgan Stanley, the Knight Foundation and Boeing. 1 Private foundations such as the Gordon E. and Betty I. Moore Foundation and Robertson Foundation also fund the program. 2

ABC has produced over 17,000 alumni. 3 Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) was an ABC alumnus. 4 Alumnus Luis Ubinas was past president of Ford Foundation, an appointee of the Obama administration, and co-chair of the Economic Policy Council for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. 5

Background

A Better Chance (ABC) was founded in 1963 during the civil rights movement and is headquartered in New York, New York. 6 It started with a grant from the Charles E. Merrill Foundation with the intent to place students of color into college preparatory schools. The Independent School Talent Search Program (ISTSP) was initiated with twenty-three participating schools and fifty-five students. The program name was then changed to A Better Chance a year later. 7

ABC utilizes an 18-month process to recruit, evaluate, and place select ethnic minority students in grades 4 through 9 into one of over 200 member schools through their College Preparatory Schools Program (CPSP). 8 In 2020, there were 2,228 scholars enrolled in one of 207 participating schools. Of these, 62 percent were black, 16 percent were Latino/Hispanic, 14 percent were multiracial, and 8 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander. 9

ABC provides continued support to participants including workshops, travel opportunities, and college tours. 10

Financials

In 2019 A Better Chance’s total revenue was $3,658,243. Of that, $2,508,425 was from contributions and grants. Total expenses were $4,986,248. Of that, $2,595,259 was spent on compensation and employee benefits, or more than 50 percent of total expenses. Net income was -$1,328,005. 11

Charity Navigator assigned ABC a two-star rating out of four stars due to its high program expense ratio in 2019. It had been assigned a two-star rating each year for the prior four years. 12

Funders

Institutional partners work with A Better Chance on student programs and provide donations. Partners include the Tides Foundation, American Express, Morgan Stanley, the Knight Foundation 13 and Boeing. 14 The Tides Foundation is a major donor to left-progressive nonprofit work. 15 The Knight Foundation is a left-leaning private foundation with a focus on supporting engaged and inclusive communities. 16 Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company. 17

Additional donors include donor advised funds Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund, National Philanthropic Trust, and Schwab Charitable Fund and private foundations Gordon E. and Betty I. Moore Foundation and Robertson Foundation. 18

Leadership

Francisco Tezen is president and CEO. 19 Prior to this position, Tezen held multiple positions at the Food Bank for New York City, and at Year Up, 20 a job training program with a focus on equitable access to jobs and education. 21

Benjamin Bingman-Tennant, national director of programs, worked previously for Math for America and  Posse Foundation, 22 an organization that recruits students from racial minority backgrounds and places them in groups in elite schools. They do not have to meet normal admission requirements and are accepted to schools for which they may not otherwise qualify. 23

National director external affairs Karen Johns worked previously for Tides Foundation and Groundswell. 24 Groundswell is a grantmaking foundation that focuses on left-progressive reproductive issues and abortion access. 25

Program Alumni

There are over 17,000 alumni of the ABC program 26

Former Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick (D) participated in the ABC program. He was accepted into a Massachusetts boarding school on a scholarship, then later went to Harvard College and Harvard Law School. 27 Patrick served as Governor of Massachusetts from 2007 until 2015. 28

Luis Antonio Ubinas was an ABC scholar. 29 He attended Harvard University and Harvard Business School following the preparatory program, and was past president of Ford Foundation, an appointee of the Obama administration, and co-chair of the Economic Policy Council for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. 30

References

  1. “Corporate and Foundation Partners.” A Better Chance. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.abetterchance.org/partners/corporate-and-foundation-partners
  2. “A Better Chance.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=A+Better+Chance
  3. “Alumni.” A Better Chance. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.abetterchance.org/alumni/welcome
  4. “Alumni Profiles.” A Better Chance. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.abetterchance.org/alumni/alumni-profiles
  5. “Luis Ubinas.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-ubinas-3290686a/
  6. A Better Chance Inc., Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-Part I), 2019.
  7. “A Better Chance is Founded.” African American Registry. Accessed January 12, 2022. https://aaregistry.org/story/a-better-chance-founded/
  8. “Our Programs.” GuideStar – A Better Chance, Inc. Accessed January 12, 2022. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/23-7173492
  9.  At a Glance.” A Better Chance. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.abetterchance.org/about/at-a-glance
  10. “What We Provide.” A Better Chance. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.abetterchance.org/admissions-and-programming/what-we-provide
  11. A Better Chance Inc., Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-Part I), 2019.
  12. “A Better Chance.” Charity Navigator. Accessed January 12, 2022. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/237173492
  13. “Corporate and Foundation Partners.” A Better Chance. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.abetterchance.org/partners/corporate-and-foundation-partners
  14. “A Better Chance Receives $500k from Boeing.” Black Enterprise. December 21, 2017. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.blackenterprise.com/better-chance-receives-600k-500k-first-time-giver-boeing/
  15. “History.” Tides Foundation. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.tides.org/about-archive-8may2020/history/
  16. “Program Areas.” Knight Foundation. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://knightfoundation.org/programs/
  17. “Our Company.” Boeing. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.boeing.com/company/
  18. “A Better Chance.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=A+Better+Chance
  19. “Our Team.” A Better Chance. Accessed January 12, 2022. https://www.abetterchance.org/about/faculty-and-staff
  20. “Francisco J. Tezen.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscojtezen/
  21. “About.” Year Up. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.yearup.org/about
  22. “Benjamin Bingman-Tennant.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-bingman-tennant/
  23. “Power of the Posse.” Education Week. March 22, 2000. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/power-of-the-posse/2000/03
  24. “Karen Y. Johns.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-y-johns/
  25. “What is Reproductive Justice?” Groundswell Fund. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://groundswellfund.org/what-is-reproductive-justice/
  26. “Alumni.” A Better Chance. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.abetterchance.org/alumni/welcome
  27. “Profile of A Better Chance.” ThoughtCo. Updated May 24, 2019. Accessed January 12, 2022. https://www.thoughtco.com/students-of-color-best-private-schools-2774294
  28. “Former Massachusetts Governors.” National Governors Association. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.nga.org/former-governors/Massachusetts/
  29. “Fifty Years Later, A Better Chance Trains Young Scholars.” NPR.org. June 8, 2013. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/06/09/184798293/fifty-years-later-a-better-chance-trains-young-scholars
  30. “Luis Ubinas.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-ubinas-3290686a/
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: May 1, 1972

  • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2019 Dec Form 990 $3,658,243 $4,986,248 $12,684,460 $3,273,553 Y $2,508,425 $596,355 $242,117 $656,697 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $3,791,237 $4,350,199 $11,797,820 $2,340,278 Y $3,083,432 $139,195 $243,381 $319,983 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $4,395,087 $4,470,862 $13,572,226 $2,067,026 N $2,831,084 $325,536 $243,975 $567,423 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $927,548 $1,362,145 $14,999,913 $3,473,324 N $568,019 $97,045 $113,478 $152,998 PDF
    2016 Aug Form 990 $0 $0 $13,123,148 $0 N $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2015 Aug Form 990 $2,859,224 $4,101,583 $15,772,743 $2,649,595 N $2,011,204 $214,055 $261,975 $615,059 PDF
    2014 Aug Form 990 $5,201,599 $4,201,984 $17,447,547 $2,094,617 N $4,179,989 $263,715 $277,829 $529,350 PDF
    2013 Aug Form 990 $6,716,285 $4,127,625 $15,962,382 $2,559,031 N $5,344,224 $200,878 $299,351 $439,974 PDF
    2012 Aug Form 990 $3,217,018 $3,601,683 $13,523,061 $2,381,457 N $2,174,235 $269,532 $265,959 $334,673 PDF
    2011 Aug Form 990 $3,700,862 $3,124,255 $13,175,842 $1,734,391 N $2,589,493 $188,828 $273,724 $307,609 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)