Illinois Wesleyan University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
370662594
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Bloomington, IL, USA
Phone
3095563021
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$78,068,485
Expenses
$79,997,976
Assets
$449,834,382
Liabilities
$105,140,853

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

Leadership & pay

51 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHEAHON ZENGER (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • S GEORGIA NUGENT (FORMER OFFICER): $336,577 total reported compensation
  • SHEAHON ZENGER (PRESIDENT): $251,432 total reported compensation
  • STEVEN SEIBRING (VP EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS): $244,550 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Illinois Wesleyan University strives to attain the ideal of a liberal arts education while providing unique opportunities with distinctive curricula and programs, fostering creativity, critical thinking, effective communication, strength of character, and a spirit of inquiry. Illinois Wesleyan University, an independent, residential, liberal arts university founded in 1850, strives to attain the ideal of a liberal education while providing unique opportunities with distinctive curricula and programs. A liberal education at Illinois Wesleyan fosters creativity, critical thinking, effective communication, strength of character and a spirit of inquiry and civil discourse. Our curriculum deepens the specialized knowledge of a discipline with a comprehensive world view. The Illinois Wesleyan experience affords the greatest possibilities for realizing individual potential while preparing...

What it reported doing in 2024

Illinois wesleyan university provides a rich learning environment for approximately 1,600 undergraduate students with extensive personal attention. The experiential learning model fosters creativity, critical thinking, effective communication, strength of character and a spirit of inquiry. The institution serves students pursing baccalaureate degrees in the liberal arts, fine arts and professional programs as well as interdisciplinary study and off campus learning. Specific disciplines of emphasis include biology, nursing, accounting, business, theater and music. The university offers a robust student life and residential experience to create an inclusive community for students.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 74% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 57
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 95%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: -2.5%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.62; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.3%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 95% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 39 of 39 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $76M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $337K · 51 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $21.7M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 12 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.