Believe in Students Inc
Donations deductibleBelieve in Students Inc's network
10 people3 organisationsi10 people and 3 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (10). Violet dotted lines (3) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
10 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Time served and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed time served is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 9 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Binswanger Chair | Board Chair (Until 12.12.24); Board Member | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Bill Kiolbasa | Board Member | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Dr Elizabeth Vaquera | Board Member | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Jesse Thompson | Board Vice Chair (Until 12.12.24); Board Chair (As | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Kristen Durkin | Board Member | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Liz Murphy | Board Member | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Mark Hays | Board Treasurer | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Rene Bryce-Laporte | Board Member | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Stephanie Owens | Board Member | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Traci Kirtley | Executive Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
Under 5 years5 to 6 years6 years or more
Officers and senior leadership
1 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Traci Kirtley | CEO | since 2022 |
Pay and hours
year to 31 December 2024iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traci Kirtley | Executive Director | 50 | $113k | $15k | |
| Jesse Thompson | Board Vice Chair (Until 12.12.24); Board Chair (As | 0.5 | $0 | ||
| Richard Binswanger | Board Chair (Until 12.12.24); Board Member | 0.33 | $0 | ||
| Bill Kiolbasa | Board Member | 0.33 | $0 | ||
| Dr Elizabeth Vaquera | Board Member | 0.33 | $0 | ||
| Kristen Durkin | Board Member | 0.33 | $0 | ||
| Liz Murphy | Board Member | 0.33 | $0 | ||
| Mark Hays | Board Treasurer | 0.5 | $0 | ||
| Rene Bryce-Laporte | Board Member | 0.3 | $0 | ||
| Stephanie Owens | Board Member | 0.33 | $0 |
Colorado roster
10 listediOfficers, directors and trustees from the latest filing with the Colorado Secretary of State (document 20233000161). Titles are as filed; some entries are registered agents or custodians of records rather than board members. Source: data.colorado.gov, public domain.| Name | Title as filed |
|---|---|
| Bill Kiolbasa | Board Member |
| Jamie Binswanger | Board Chair |
| Traci Kirtley | Executive Director |
| Mark Hays | Treasurer |
| Sara Goldrick-Rab | Board Member |
| Richard Binswanger | Board Chair |
| Traci Kirtley | |
| Stephanie Sprow Owens | Board Member |
| Uva Coles | Board Member |
| Elizabeth Vaquera | Board Member |
About
- Legal name
- Believe in Students Inc
- EIN
- 813612875
- Address
- 1755 N 13th Street 295, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-6108
- State
- Pennsylvania
- Mission
- To address basic needs insecurity among college students and promote college attainment by developing and supporting innovative, sustainable, and effective solutions that can scale to meet widespread demand. (as filed on the Form 990)
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Size band
- 5 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 2016
- Principal officer
- Traci Kirtley (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 August 2016
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 6, latest 2024
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Longest observed on the filings
≥7years on the filingsRichard Binswanger
≥6years on the filingsMark Hays
≥5years on the filingsBill Kiolbasa
≥5years on the filingsStephanie Owens
Latest return
year to 31 December 2024iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 31 December 2024. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $620k
- Total liabilities
- $13k
- Net assets or fund balances
- $607k
- Contributions and grants received
- $1.1m
- Program service revenue
- $0
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 30
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1.1m | $763k | $320k |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.
State registration
1 entityiBusiness-entity registers published by US states. These records are matched to this organisation by name and state, not by EIN, and are labelled as likely matches. Street addresses are not shown.Believe in Students Inc. likely matchiMatched by exact name and state (and ZIP where shown). State registers do not publish EINs, so this is not a confirmed match. Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, business entities (data.pa.gov xvd7-5r2c). Licence: public domain. Data last fetched 18 October 2026.
- State
- Pennsylvania
- Entity type
- Domestic Nonprofit Corporation
- Status
- Active
- Formed
- 24 August 2016
- Registered agent
- Not stated
Officers (9)
- Bill Kiolbasa Governor
- Elizabeth Vaquera Governor
- Jesse Thompson Vice President
- Jesse Thompson Governor
- Mark Hays Treasurer
- Rene Bryce-Laporte Governor
- Richard Binswanger President
- Stephanie Sprow Owens Governor
- Traci Kirtley Secretary
City and state of officers are not held in this extract.