The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice Inc

“The form 990 is completed by an outside accounting firm, in conjunction with the vice president of operations and controller. The form 990 is reviewed by the president and ceo, vice president of operations, controller, secretary, an independent accounting firm and an outside attorney. Upon completion, the final form 990 is sent to the full board of directors for review before filing.”

“The organization's board of directors has adopted a conflict of interest policy that requires directors, officers and key employees to submit an annual conflict of interest disclosure. The annual disclosure requires directors, officers and key employees to disclose, in writing, any known financial interest that the individual (together with family members) has in any business entity that transacts business with edchoice, inc. In addition, directors, officers and key employees are required to immediately disclose any possible conflict of interest that arises mid-year in relation to a proposed transaction. The conflict of interest policy requires that any individual with a conflict be recused from the decision-making process, that independent directors determine whether the proposed transaction is in the best interests of the organization, and the transaction must be approved by a vote of the independent directors without the participation of any interested individual. The annual conflict disclosure statements are submitted to, and reviewed by, the vice president of operations. In addition, the executive staff of edchoice, inc. Are responsible for monitoring any possible conflict transactions that arise and managing them to ensure that all transactions represent arms' length, fair market value terms for the benefit of the organization.”

“The organization's board of directors has adopted an executive compensation and intermediate sanctions policy. The purpose of the policy is to ensure that the organization's compensation arrangements with related parties are evaluated and entered at arms' length and that any compensation that is paid to a related party is reasonable and reflects fair market value. The policy encourages the application of the rebuttable presumption standard of code section 4958 and the related treasury regulations by (a) excluding any interested party from the decision-making process; (b) requiring disinterested board members to obtain and rely upon comparability data when setting the proposed compensation terms; (c) requiring approval of the transaction in advance by disinterested directors; and (d) requiring contemporaneous documentation (i.e., minutes) reflecting the decision and the process by which it was made. On january 23, 2023, independent members of the board of directors, meeting as a separate committee evaluated the compensation of the president/ceo, evaluated comparability data, and used such data to set his compensation for 2023.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“Virginia walden-ford works with the organization as part of the edchoice experts speakers bureau. The board of directors has reviewed this work in relation to the conflict of interest policy and determined the payment is an honorarium for speaking engagements, and is not related to her duties as a director. Furthermore, the board of directors approved such payment, with virginia walden-ford not present, in accordance with the conflict of interest policy.”

“The amount paid to american philanthropic, llc as an independent contractor is for fundraising ($177,500) and other consulting services ($116,125).”

“Edchoice, inc. Is dedicated to advancing full and unencumbered educational choice as the best pathway to successful lives and a stronger society. Edchoice believes that families are best equipped to make k-12 schooling decisions for their children. Edchoice, inc works at the state level to educate diverse audiences on the benefits of high-quality education choice programs. Edchoice, inc. Is the intellectual legacy of milton and rose d. Friedman, who founded the organization in 1996.”

“EdChoice established the EdChoice Legal Advocates (EdLA) division to provide legal representation and support to parents involved in school choice litigation across the nation.”

“(Expenses $ 95,382 including grants of $) Legal Advocates: To safeguard choice programs for families, EdChoice, Inc. established EdChoice Legal Advocates (EdLA) in 2023 to engage directly in litigation efforts. EdLA provides legal representation and support to parents involved in school choice litigation across the nation.”

“Edchoice, inc. Was not required to comply with the backup withholding rules because it did not make reportable payments to vendors or pay reportable gaming (gambling) winnings to prize winners.”

“Subscription Services - Total Expense: 254761, Program Service Expense: 234523, Management and General Expenses: 12788, Fundraising Expenses: 7450; Independent Contractors - Total Expense: 1368291, Program Service Expense: 1353196, Management and General Expenses: 13390, Fundraising Expenses: 1705; Consultants - Total Expense: 430544, Program Service Expense: 403989, Management and General Expenses: 10705, Fundraising Expenses: 15850; Editing and Writing - Total Expense: 9064, Program Service Expense: 8478, Management and General Expenses: , Fundraising Expenses: 586; Other Professional - Total Expense: 12581, Program Service Expense: , Management and General Expenses: 12341, Fundraising Expenses: 240;”

“Edchoice does not award any grants outside of the us. The only payments made outside the us were for an independent contractor for research services in furtherance of edchoice's exempt purpose.”