Catholic United Financial Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
411893463
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
St. Paul, MN, USA
Phone
651-765-4135
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and Fund Distribution
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,002,338
Expenses
$7,590,788
Assets
$41,789,670
Liabilities
$188,329

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ROBERT HEUERMANN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • MICHAEL AHLES (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ROBERT HEUERMANN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $151,361 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Foundation partners with donors in four specific programs: Catholic Education Priority Fund, Monsignor Schuler Seminarian Fund, Charitable Giving Planning, and additional giving opportunities.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, the foundation grant program provided 47 grants to catholic schools and parishes for technology and chastity & abstinence programs amounting to $28.375. Since 2001, more than $1.25 million has been awarded in through more than 2,322 grants to catholic schools, parishes, and religious education programs. The foundation's schuler seminarian fund provided 172 seminarians with $75,800 in scholarship support to aid in their continuing education towards becoming a priest. Since 1998, more than $1.27 million has been awarded to seminarians pursuing their calling towards ordination. The foundation's catholic united disaster response assists victims from natural disasters. The disaster response program has provided education and support for various community members and organizations so that they will be able to assist themselves and others in need following natural disasters. The disaster relief program is taking the place of this response activities where we will continue providing financial support to all people in need due to natural disasters regardless of race, creed and/or religion. The foundation also provides charitable gift annuities, donor advised funds, charitable deferred annuities, and charitable life insurance to catholic united financial members. The foundation matches the members' giving and their finances, integrating giving into their overall financial strategy while ensuring they can achieve their charitable goals through sound, conservative fiscal management. The foundation also offers organizational advised funds to assist parishes and cemeteries with their long term and endowment management and investment needs. The program grants and distributions from these efforts provided almost $7.35 million in support of charitable organizations, churches and schools across the upper midwest in 2024.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 96% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 99
  • Transparency & Controls: 64
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 52
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 99.1%; rating input score 99
  • Fundraising efficiency: $295.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 74%; rating input score 74; 20th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -8.4%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.51; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.5%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.6% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.7% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 9 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 99.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $151K · 11 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 83 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 5 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.