Air University Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
631106495
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Maxwell Afb, AL, USA
Phone
3349533174
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
National Security

Reported finances

Revenue
$426,694
Expenses
$276,852
Assets
$5,730,827
Liabilities
$7,643

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR JACK HAWKINS JR (PRESIDENT)
  • NIM FRAZER (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JOSEPH A PANZA JR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOSEPH A PANZA JR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $58,004 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Air university foundation seeks to raise funds to provide financial assistance to air university schools and agencies for the advancement of the study of air and space power.

What it reported doing in 2025

Student and faculty mementos and cash grants for excellence in writing, conference support and miscellaneous programs

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 62% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 89% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 75
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.2%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 73.4%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 35.1%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 20.7; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -5.9% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.2% of revenue deployed · 73.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 24 of 24 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $203K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $58K · 23 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.