We help
people rise

We are a non-profit giving hardworking people the resources and confidence to move up the economic ladder through free tax preparation and financial aid services.

How we started

In 1994, 22-year-old business analyst and basketball coach Robert Burke saw families on his basketball team struggling to complete their taxes.

Determined to help, he rallied 90 colleagues to volunteer their time to prepare families’ tax returns for free.

Together, they returned more than $150,000 to 120 households at Holy Family School on the west side of Chicago. Since then, Bob has gone from basketball coach to tax champion—and this is just the beginning.

Since inception, Ladder Up has returned over $1.85 billion to over 850,000 families with the help of over 35,000 volunteers.

average tax refund for clients
average amount of people helped every year
students accessed financial aid

Our vision

Hardworking families. Students with ambition. Workers making ends meet. We stand with all of them.



Why? Because every year, $1.5 billion in tax refunds and financial aid is lost. And the people who need it most are the least able to access it. 

We make the complicated simple

We break down barriers. We turn red tape into green lights.—



Because these are life-changing dollars people are entitled to receive.

Dollars that change lives

When those dollars reach them, the difference is real.
A family stays in their home. A student not only enrolls in college—but graduates. A worker pays down debt, builds credit, and can plan for tomorrow.

Closing the gap, together

These individual victories add up.
Because when people rise, communities soar.

Together, we can close the gap in a broken system and rise as one—until opportunity is within reach for everyone.

Real lives. Real impact.

Every $1 donated unlocks $30 for hardworking people 
—a staggering 2,900% return. That money makes a life-changing difference: rent paid, college doors opened, futures secured. We call that the ROI of real lives. Soon, we’ll take that impact beyond Chicago. And you can help us get there.

View our impact
Partnerships that change lives

Companies that partner with Ladder Up power their people, prove their impact, and strengthen their brand. 



From volunteer programs to matched donations — you can help unlock millions in life-changing dollars for hardworking people.

Partner with us
Meet our leadership

Meet the leaders who provide vision, accountability, and guidance to ensure Ladder Up continues to deliver real change.

View our Board of Directors