Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
912020506
IRS 990 coverage
2008–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Burien, WA, USA
Phone
2066313120
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,757,378
Expenses
$1,506,736
Assets
$8,292,429
Liabilities
$113,522

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LAURIE BAUR (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • TRISHA ARIAS (PRESIDENT)
  • JENNIFER HEFFORD-ANDERSON (PRESIDENT ELECT)
  • FRED SWANSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • FRED SWANSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $133,814 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Highline schools foundation was established in 1999 to help bridge the gap between what the state of Washington provides our district and what is needed for our students, families, staff and teachers to achieve success.

What it reported doing in 2025

School and classroom grants: the foundation grants teachers, staff, and administrators the funds they need to support unique and innovative programs that state funding cannot provide. We support activities and experiences that expand the learning process and actively engage students. Our goal is to provide teachers and schools with the resources they need to help our students be successful. The grants we select try to reach the most students and district schools possible. The foundation grants also support student success and programs to improve graduation rates for students in highline public schools. More than 75% of highline schools applied for and received funding through our grants programs this year, with 51 grants funded and a total of $100,000 awarded.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 71% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 89
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 53%; rating input score 53
  • Program expense ratio: 80.6%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $26.44 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 95.6%; rating input score 96; 36th 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: 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: 45.4%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.5; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.9%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -7% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 53% of revenue deployed · 80.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $134K · 19 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2008 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 53/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.