Friends of the Fromm Institute for Life-Long Learning

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
942427266
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Larkspur, CA, USA
Phone
4159251376
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,054,759
Expenses
$2,136,611
Assets
$7,990,518
Liabilities
$5,000

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

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Caroline Fromm Lurie LCSW (President)
  • Margie Chen MD (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Derek Leighnor (Executive Dir.): $75,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To support the Fromm Institute For Lifelong Learning program at the University of San Francisco.

What it reported doing in 2024

Educational program for retired persons at the University of San Francisco. The program offers daytime, non-credit, college level courses in a wide range of academic subjects. With a faculty of over forty emeriti (retired professors), the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning presents approximately fifty courses each year over three eight-week sessions: Fall, Winter and Spring. While the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning creates a peer age setting in its classrooms, program participants also have the opportunity to interact with the multi-generational community while on the attractive and accessible campus of the University of San Francisco.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 90
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 72
  • Sustainability: 52
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 90.3%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.24 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.2%; rating input score 96; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -4%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.74; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.5%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97% of revenue deployed · 90.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 26 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 26 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 22/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 59/100.