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Arizona Academic Decathlon

Tempe, AZ · EIN 860508608 · Form 990EZ · FY2021 · Small ($100K-$1M) · www.azacadec.org
revenue
$146K
expenses
$122K
net assets
$137K
employees
mission · from form 990

TO SPONSOR, PROMOTE, AND OPERATE HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC EVENTS AWARDING EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS AND OTHER AWARDS TO EVENT WINNERS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Arizona Academic Decathlon organizes academic competitions for high school students across Arizona, guiding teams through regional, state, and national events. The organization supports students from diverse school types—public, private, and charter—in preparing for rigorous subject-area tests, essays, and interviews. It also facilitates scholarships and recognition for top performers.

named programs · 5 · from sources

what they call their work

Coaches' Clinic
Annual training event for coaches to prepare for the academic decathlon season, held at Glendale Community College.
National Competition Participation
Supports Arizona's top-scoring team to attend the United States Academic Decathlon National Competition, typically held in late April, including coordination for in-person and online events.
Regional Competitions
Four regional academic decathlon events held across Arizona in late January or early February, where teams compete to advance to the state level.
Scrimmages
Local invitational practice competitions held across Arizona from October to December, allowing teams to prepare within the official USAD testing window.
State Competition
The annual Arizona Academic Decathlon State Competition held in March, where 30–40 qualifying teams from regional events compete for top honors and advancement to nationals.
activities · 6 groups

what they do

  • Academic Competitions for Youth 5 activities
    • Organizing and Hosting Academic Decathlon Competitions
      Organizes and hosts academic competitions for Arizona high school students at local, regional, and state levels, culminating in the Arizona State Competition. These competitions involve ten subject areas and include both virtual and in-person events, with approximately 60 teams participating annually.
    • Organizing and Hosting Academic Decathlon Competitions
      Organizes and hosts academic competitions for Arizona high school students at local, regional, and state levels, culminating in the Arizona State Competition which sends the highest-scoring team to the United States Academic Decathlon National Competition. These competitions involve ten subject areas and include both virtual and in-person events, with approximately 60 teams participating annually.
    • Organizing and Hosting Academic Decathlon Competitions
      Organizes and hosts annual academic decathlon competitions at local, regional, and state levels for Arizona high school students, culminating in the Arizona State Competition which sends the highest-scoring team to the national competition. These competitions involve ten events across various subjects and engage approximately 60 teams annually from diverse school types.
    • Organizing and Hosting Academic Decathlon Competitions
      Organizes and hosts annual academic competitions for Arizona high school students at local, regional, and state levels, culminating in sending the highest-scoring state team to the national competition. These competitions involve ten subject areas and include both virtual and in-person events, engaging approximately 60 teams and over 200 volunteers annually.
    • Supporting Arizona Teams at National Competitions
      Sends the highest-scoring state team to the national Academic Decathlon competition annually and supports Arizona decathletes participating in the United States Academic Decathlon National Competition, including online competitions.
  • ROTC and Academic Competition Scholarships 4 activities
    • Awarding Scholarships and Prizes
      Awards cash prizes, post-secondary scholarships, and various recognition awards (medals, trophies, certificates) to high-achieving decathletes and winning teams at regional and state competitions, including renewable scholarships for top-scoring individuals and teams, and participation scholarships for long-term participants.
    • Awarding Scholarships and Prizes to Decathletes
      Awards cash prizes, renewable scholarships (including tuition scholarships from the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University), medals, trophies, and certificates of recognition to high-achieving decathletes and winning teams at regional and state competitions.
    • Providing Awards and Scholarships
      Grants cash prizes, post-secondary scholarships, certificates of recognition, medals, and trophies to high-achieving decathletes and winning teams at regional and state competitions, including specific scholarships from the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.
    • Providing Awards and Scholarships for Decathletes
      Awards cash prizes, post-secondary scholarships, certificates of recognition, medals, and trophies to high-achieving decathletes and winning teams at regional and state competitions. This includes renewable scholarships from the organization itself and tuition scholarships from the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.
  • Youth Soccer and Football Skills Camps 4 activities
    • Coaches' Clinic
      Hosts an annual one-day Coaches' Clinic in September, offering general and breakout sessions on new content and coaching techniques with subject matter experts.
    • Coaches' Clinic and Resource Provision
      Hosts an annual one-day Coaches' Clinic in September, offering general and breakout sessions on new content and coaching techniques with subject matter experts. The organization also provides a resource section for coaches, including information on clinics and necessary forms for competitions.
    • Coaches' Clinic and Resource Provision
      Hosts an annual one-day Coaches' Clinic in September, offering general and breakout sessions on new content and coaching techniques with subject matter experts, and provides a resource section for coaches with information on clinics and necessary forms for competitions.
    • Providing Resources and Support for Coaches
      Hosts an annual one-day Coaches' Clinic in September with general and breakout sessions on new content and coaching techniques, and provides a resource section on its website with information on clinics and necessary forms for competitions.
  • Live & Historical Event Results Management 4 activities
    • Competition Registration and Scoring
      Registers school teams and individual students for academic competitions and posts state and regional competition results to the AcaDec Scores and Information Center for public access.
    • Publishing Competition Results
      Posts state and regional competition results to the AcaDec Scores and Information Center for public access, including specific past competition results.
    • Publishing Competition Results
      Posts state and regional competition results to the AcaDec Scores and Information Center for public access, including specific results from past regional competitions.
    • Publishing Competition Results
      Posts state and regional competition results to the AcaDec Scores and Information Center for public access, including historical results from previous years.
  • Youth Sports Registration and Fee Management 2 activities
    • Competition Registration
      Registers school teams of 6-9 members for an annual fee, with an additional fee for advancing to the state competition, and registers individual students for competition rounds.
    • Competition Registration
      Registers school teams of 6-9 members for an annual fee of $650, with an additional $350 for advancing to the state competition. Individual students can also register for $125 each for the initial rounds of the competition.
  • Uncategorized 4 activities
    • Providing Volunteer Training and Support
      Provides centralized virtual and in-person training for volunteers, including instructional videos, downloadable handouts, and a completion recording system, to support the various roles required for academic competitions such as essay, interview, and speech judging, test proctoring, and event logistics.
    • Providing Volunteer Training for Competitions
      Provides structured training for approximately 200 volunteers annually, including essay, interview, and speech judges, test proctors, and runners, through centralized virtual training, instructional videos, downloadable handouts, and a training completion recording system.
    • Volunteer Recruitment and Training
      Recruits and trains approximately 200 volunteers annually to support the academic decathlon competitions. Training includes instructional videos, downloadable handouts, and a completion recording system, with centralized virtual training provided by the State Competition Committee.
    • Volunteer Recruitment and Training
      Recruits and trains approximately 200 volunteers for competition events, providing structured training that includes instructional videos, downloadable handouts, and a completion recording system, with centralized virtual training for all regions.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2021
revenue
Total revenue$146K
Contributions & grants$104K71%
Program service revenue$42K29%
Investment income$90%
Other revenue
expenses
Total expenses$122K
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits$74K
Grants paid out$16K
balance sheet
Total assets$164K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$137K
3 years on record · 2019–2021 · YoY revenue +13.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2021

who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Anne Edelstein Executive Dir. 40 $35K
SARAH MORRIS Executive Dir. 40 $33K
relationships · 35

who they work with

  • AcaDec Scores and Information Center Partner — Platform where Arizona state competition results are posted.
  • Altera Partner — An Altera representative serves on the board of directors.
  • Arizona State University Partner — An Arizona State University representative serves on the board of directors.
  • Arizona State University Partner — Offers scholarships to top-scoring decathletes and members of winning teams.
  • Committee for Children Partner — A Committee for Children representative serves on the board of directors.
  • Desert View High School Partner — Serves as a location for Region III competitions.
  • Dobson High School Partner — Serves as a location for Region IV competitions.
  • Educational Services, Inc. Partner — An Educational Services, Inc. representative serves on the board of directors.
  • Glendale Community College Partner — Host site for the 2026 Coaches' Clinic.
  • Glendale Community College Partner — Hosts the Coaches' Clinic.
  • Helios Education Foundation Partner — A Helios Education Foundation representative serves on the board of directors.
  • IO.INC Partner — An IO.INC representative serves on the board of directors.
  • Intel Corporation Partner — An Intel Corporation representative serves on the board of directors.
  • Mansperger Patterson & McMullin Partner — A Mansperger Patterson & McMullin representative serves on the board of directors.
  • Mountain View (Mesa) High School Partner — Hosts the Arizona Academic Decathlon State Competition.
  • Northern Arizona University Partner — Offers scholarships to top-scoring decathletes and members of winning teams.
  • Orange County Academic Decathlon Association Partner — Academic Decathlon program was started by this organization in California in 1968.
  • Orange County Superintendent of School’s office Partner — Academic Decathlon program was started in cooperation with this office.
  • Pima County Academic Decathlon Association Partner — The Arizona Academic Decathlon Association was formed from this organization.
  • Pima County School Superintendent Partner — The Pima County Academic Decathlon Association was started by this individual.
  • Shamrock Foods Partner — A Shamrock Foods representative serves on the board of directors.
  • St. Johns High School Partner — Serves as a location for Region I competitions.
  • State Competition Committee Partner — Central partner in administering volunteer training for Arizona Academic Decathlon.
  • Thunderbird High School Partner — Serves as a location for Region II competitions.
  • USAD Partner — Participates in the USAD National Competition and follows its test window for scrimmages.
  • United States Academic Decathlon Network — Participates in the national competition organized by the United States Academic Decathlon.
  • United States Academic Decathlon Partner — Arizona State Champion team competes in the national competition.
  • United States Academic Decathlon Partner — Partners with USAD to send top-performing teams to the national competition.
  • United States Academic Decathlon Partner — Sends its winning Arizona team to compete in the national competition.
  • United States Academic Decathlon Partner — State champions advance to the National Finals of this organization.
+ 5 more