Forward Service Corporation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 391342890
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Madison, WI, US
- Phone
- 6082443526
- Rating
- 89
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Employment Procurement Assistance
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $34,423,347
- Expenses
- $35,652,519
- Assets
- $16,447,858
- Liabilities
- $4,367,260
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
18 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MICHELLE SZABROWICZ (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- MICHELLE SZABROWICZ (CEO): $384,027 total reported compensation
- LISA OMEN (CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER): $311,410 total reported compensation
- SARA JACKSON (CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER): $230,508 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We’re dedicated to helping people finding meaningful employment by providing supportive services to address the obstacles that stand in the way of stable, high-paying careers.
What it reported doing in 2024
Youth - forward service corporation offers a wide range of services to help young people develop the skills, attitudes and commitment necessary to fulfill their educational goals and succeed in today's world of work. Employment services for youth include: career awareness, career counseling, occupational skills training, paid and unpaid work experience (such as internships, apprenticeships and job shadowing), resume and cover letter development, interview prep, job coaching, work-readiness skill development, life skills and leadership development and job placement. Educational services include: academic and cultural enrichment activities, problem-based learning, act prep, financial aid application assistance, study skills training, mentoring, tutoring, basic education instruction leading to completion of secondary school and post-secondary education prep and support.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 94% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 76% for direct work, and 24% for grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 88
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 26
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 90%; rating input score 90
- Program expense ratio: 86.7%; rating input score 87
- Fundraising efficiency: $102.2 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -3.6%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.3%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 8 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 90% of revenue deployed · 86.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $30.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $384K · 18 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $688K reported
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 19/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 57/100.