Madison Community Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 396038248
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2019–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Madison, WI, US
- Phone
- (608) 232-1763
- Rating
- 69
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Community Foundations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $55,328,598
- Expenses
- $19,022,281
- Assets
- $347,573,285
- Liabilities
- $42,369,811
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
18 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROBERT SORGE (PRESIDENT & CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- ROBERT SORGE (PRESIDENT & CEO): $303,631 total reported compensation
- CARMEN JESCHKE (VP FINANCE & OPERATIONS): $181,617 total reported compensation
- DAVID KOEHLER (VP DONOR ENGAGEMENT): $152,566 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 build funds for the future, creating lasting impact through endowment funds that provide permanent support for the things donors value.
What it reported doing in 2024
Creation of permanent charitable funds, administation and investment of those funds, and grants to charitable organizations, primarily in the area of dane county, Wisconsin. Grants are made both through a competitive proposal process and in response to recommendations from donor fundholders. 45 new funds were created in 2024; 1,304 funds were held at the end of 20242,350 gifts were received from 1,018 donorsannualized investment return, net of fees, as of 12/31/24 was: 10.1% (1yr); 3.5% (3yrs); 7.7% (5yrs); 7.6% (10yrs); 7.4% (15yrs) percentile ranking in investment survey of peer community foundations was: 44% (1yr); 81% (3yrs); 57% (5yrs); 71% (7yrs); 93% (10yrs)2,105 grants were distributed63% of grants were distributed to organizations in dane county, 18% to organizations in other Wisconsin counties, 19% to organizations in other states.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 89% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 96% 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 most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 58
- Transparency & Controls: 70
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 87
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 39.1%; rating input score 39
- Program expense ratio: 84.8%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $42.22 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 89.2%; rating input score 89; 22nd 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; 77th 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: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 65.6%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 18.27; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.7%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -8.7% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 39.1% of revenue deployed · 84.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $16.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $304K · 18 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $648K reported
- Consistency: 39 of 40 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 380 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 378 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 39/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.