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Be a Leader Foundation

Be a Leader's mission is to increase the number of students who are prepared for and succeed in higher education by empowering them with tools, leadership skills, and …

Advocacy & Civil Rights Phoenix, AZ EIN: 550850279 (IRS) Reg: 55-0850279 (IRS) Sign up to see website
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80
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
80/100 · methodology

About Be a Leader Foundation

COLLEGE BOUND, FOCUSED, AND PREPARED The Be A Leader Foundation is dedicated to increasing the number of students who are both prepared for and succeed in higher education. Through empowering students with essential tools, leadership skills, and consistent support, Be A Leader transforms lives and creates life-long opportunities. Founded in 2002 as a scholarship-granting

Founded
Headquarters
Phoenix, AZ
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
W70
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
medium

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 2004

Mission

Be a Leader's mission is to increase the number of students who are prepared for and succeed in higher education by empowering them with tools, leadership skills, and consistent support, transforming lives and creating life long opportunities for success.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar advocacy & civil rights in United States
Program spending This charity: 78%
Peer average: 80%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 7.56%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 80
Peer average: 90

Concerns

· None found
No red flags found
Screened for IRS revocation history, Open investigations, Governance scandals, Related-party deals, Excessive exec comp.

Where every $1 goes

· FY2024 · IRS 990 (FY2024)
$0.78
Program$0.78
78% to programs beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, Be a Leader Foundation has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 4 independent sources including the IRS.

  • It has more complete contact information than nearly all comparable charities, with a verified website, email, phone and address on record. See national comparisons
  • It has more complete governance disclosure than nearly all comparable charities, because GiveRadar has verified leadership, executive compensation, a mission statement and a founding date. See national comparisons
  • Its integrity score of 80 places it in the top 2% of the 128,026 advocacy & civil rights charities in the United States GiveRadar tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. View this cohort
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (5 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a contact email
  • a donation page
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Be a Leader Foundation is a registered advocacy & civil rights nonprofit based in Phoenix, AZ, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 2002 and has been operating for 24 years. Its EIN is 550850279. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 80/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $2M in annual revenue. 49 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Be a Leader Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 550850279. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.

Be a Leader Foundation has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 80 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 78% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for advocacy & civil rights charities in United States is 90/100.

Be a Leader Foundation is located in Phoenix, AZ, United States. The organization was established in 2002 and has been active for 24 years.

Based on official tax filings, Be a Leader Foundation has $2M in annual revenue. It allocates 78% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with the average of 80% for advocacy & civil rights charities in United States. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Be a Leader Foundation is classified as an Advocacy & Civil Rights organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a medium organization. It has $2M in annual revenue. The organization has 49 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Be a Leader Foundation. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

According to GiveRadar's records, Be a Leader Foundation holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 78% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 80%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

COLLEGE BOUND, FOCUSED, AND PREPARED The Be A Leader Foundation is dedicated to increasing the number of students who are both prepared for and succeed in higher education. Through empowering students with essential tools, leadership skills, and consistent support, Be A Leader transforms lives and creates life-long opportunities. Founded in 2002 as a scholarship-granting Be a Leader Foundation is classified as an advocacy & civil rights organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 2002.

Among advocacy & civil rights charities registered in United States: It allocates 78% of expenses to programs, in line with the peer average of 80%. Its annual revenue of $2M is comparable to the peer average of $4M.

Yes, donations to Be a Leader Foundation are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Be a Leader Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 550850279, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Annual revenue
$1M-$10M
78% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2024) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
Financial details are free - with a GiveRadar account

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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From filings and published profiles

Employees
25

Leadership

From FY2024 filing

SO
Soilo J F••••
President & CEO

Officers & trustees (16)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

16 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

10 articles found

From news sources and the organization. Shown for transparency; news never affects the integrity score.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Raiders veteran is quickly becoming a leader for group that badly needs it - Just Blog Baby
Jun 2026
justblogbaby.com
Cracking the Code: Follow a leader not a follower - News and Sentinel
Jun 2026
www.newsandsentinel.com
How To Be A Leader For Climate Justice | David Lammy And Justin J. Pearson | TED Katie Nolan (OvM0YbcRjc) - Mshale
Jun 2026
mshale.com
Learn To Be A Leader - FOX 8 News
Jun 2026
fox8.com
Linda Perry Sentil Madonna: Stop Chasing Trends, Be a Leader Again - VOI.ID
Jun 2026
voi.id
LETTER: Take It From His Wife, John Sullivan Will Be a Leader Who ‘Listens First’ - villagegreennj.com
May 2026
villagegreennj.com
Mailbag: Can Downs be a leader as a rookie? - Dallas Cowboys | Official Site of the Dallas Cowboys
May 2026
www.dallascowboys.com
These are the four skills you need to be a leader, says a top Atlanta exec - AJC.com
Apr 2026
www.ajc.com
Marian Spencer Scholar Marcus Elliott graduates as a leader - University of Cincinnati
Apr 2026
www.uc.edu
Be a Leader on the Racing Industry's Big Stage - Performance Racing Industry
Apr 2026
www.performanceracing.com
Form filed
$2.0M revenue
FY2024
IRS 990
Form filed
$1.7M revenue
FY2023
IRS 990
Form filed
$2.2M revenue
FY2022
IRS 990
Form filed
$2.9M revenue
FY2021
IRS 990
Form filed
$1.6M revenue
FY2020
IRS 990

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Cause areas in United States

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Human Services 322,679
Education 195,586
Arts & Culture 133,128
Advocacy & Civil Rights this charity 128,026
Religion 114,636
Health 98,862
Community Development 56,086
Youth Development 53,450
See all cause areas in United States

Most common causes in United States

Causes charities work on most.

Community Development 235,146
Education 159,016
Religion 103,741
Arts & Culture 101,203
Human Rights 76,926
Health 65,250
Youth Development 47,775
Animal Welfare 32,425

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 49 disclosed in the public registry.
News and media coverage
GDELT Project + Google News
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 12, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 6, 2026
Profile completeness
100%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 10
  • Financial data · FY2024 on record
  • Named leadership · 49 officers on file
  • Executive pay · Disclosed
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
  • Tax-deductibility · Verified
  • Founding date · 2002
Not available · 1
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about Be a Leader Foundation

What is Be a Leader Foundation?
Be a Leader Foundation is a advocacy & civil rights publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Phoenix, United States. COLLEGE BOUND, FOCUSED, AND PREPARED The Be A Leader Foundation is dedicated to increasing the number of students who are both prepared for and succeed in higher education. Through empowering students with essential tools, leadership skills, and consistent support, Be A Leader transforms lives and creates life-long opportunities. Founded in 2002 as a scholarship-granting
When was Be a Leader Foundation founded?
Be a Leader Foundation was founded in 2002.
Who leads Be a Leader Foundation?
Soilo J Felix serves as President & CEO.
Where is Be a Leader Foundation located?
Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, United States.
What is Be a Leader Foundation's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $1M-$10M. 78% of expenses go to program services.
Is Be a Leader Foundation trustworthy?
Be a Leader Foundation has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Be a Leader Foundation's registration number?
IRS EIN: 550850279. Registration: 55-0850279 (United States).
What is Be a Leader Foundation's website?
http://www.bealeader.org