Junior Achievement of Wisconsin Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
390826295
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone
4145773800
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Economic Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,878,157
Expenses
$6,142,210
Assets
$24,131,975
Liabilities
$841,129

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

Leadership & pay

67 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JULIE GRANGER (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JULIE GRANGER (PRESIDENT): $230,877 total reported compensation
  • LORI SALZMAN (VP ENTERPRISE SERVICES): $130,096 total reported compensation
  • JENNIFER GRYNIEWICZ (VP FUNDRAISING): $117,952 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Junior achievement of Wisconsin, inc. Serves a franchised area of ja USA, inc. The organization was created for the purpose of enhancing Wisconsin's economic vitality by providing young people and the changing workforce with experience-based economic education through partnerships that are responsive to business, education, and community needs. The organization prepares young people to successfully navigate their economic future through learning experiences that simulate future success and support career discovery. Ja programs provide students with the financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness skills that they will need to become responsible citizens and succeed in a global economy.

What it reported doing in 2024

Ja biztown and ja finance park are reality-based, hands-on learning programs. Through daily lessons, hands-on activities, and active participation in an interactive simulation, students develop a strong understanding of the relationship between what they learn in school and their successful participation in an economy and the principles of budgeting.ja biz town takes 4th-6th grade students into the world of business and the economy of a community, as they become "adults for the day". They assume roles of producers, consumers and investors. Students learn how to create and manage a business, as well as make smart financial decisions to benefit themselves, their family, and their community. Volunteers assist students in making choices for their business and provide career exploration opportunities.ja finance park introduces middle and high school students to personal finance and career exploration. During their time at ja finance park, students receive randomly assigned live scenarios, including family, career, and financial situation. Volunteers guide the students to: create and maintain a balanced family budget, use banking services, arrange for housing and transportation, and make investment decisions.5,923 students in 229 learning experiences.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The program-spending lines do not add up, so the filing cannot show reliably whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 89
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 70%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: -25.9%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.93; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.8%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.2% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.8% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90% of revenue deployed · 70% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 64 of 64 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $4.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $231K · 67 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $119K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Document-retention policy not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.