Highlights
- The School of Architecture in Scottsdale posted $642,018 in TY2023 revenue, down 45% from $1,164,559 in TY2022.
- Expenses of $1,249,050 nearly doubled revenue, leaving the nonprofit with $368,991 in assets against a deteriorating balance sheet.
- Officer compensation of $237,351 represented 37% of total TY2023 revenue, well above the 15% threshold that flags governance concern.
- A more recent filing shows the organization had negative net assets of $236,409 as of May 2025, per ProPublica data.
The School of Architecture, a Scottsdale-based graduate program, reported $642,018 in revenue for tax year 2023, a 45% drop from $1,164,559 the prior year, while spending $1,249,050, according to IRS Form 990 data published by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
The gap between income and outlay left the organization with $368,991 in assets at year-end, down from $745,128 in TY2022. Officer compensation of $237,351 consumed 37% of TY2023 revenue, more than double the 15% ratio that nonprofit governance analysts flag as a concern threshold.
The revenue decline is the steepest in the three-year window visible in public filings. In TY2021, the school reported $1,394,799 in revenue against $955,192 in expenses, generating a surplus and $622,930 in assets. By TY2023, that trajectory had reversed sharply.
Who runs The School of Architecture?
The organization, located at 8776 E Shea Blvd in Scottsdale, was founded in 2017 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and offers accredited master's-level graduate programs in architecture. Christopher Lasch serves as president, according to ProPublica's filing data. The school's programs emphasize design-build projects serving nonprofit organizations and underserved communities, per Cause IQ's organization profile.
The financial pressure has continued beyond TY2023. For the fiscal year ending May 2025, the school reported revenue of $880,937 against expenses of $948,879, with negative net assets recorded in that period, per ProPublica.
The organization's full TY2023 Form 990 is available through the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer page for EIN 82-1898299.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer retrieved 04/06/2026 03:06
- causeiq.com retrieved 04/06/2026 03:06
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 04/06/2026 03:06. Every claim traces to a source.
