Schowalter Villa

Legal name: Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities of Kansas Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
480673557
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2022
Location
Hesston, KS, USA
Phone
316-836-4879
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Supportive Housing for Older Adults
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$20,451,454
Expenses
$19,651,978
Assets
$29,292,380
Liabilities
$24,431,465

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES KREHBIEL (PRESIDENT/CEO)
  • JEFFREY RITCHA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JAMES KREHBIEL (PRESIDENT/CEO): $313,599 total reported compensation
  • JEROL SCHRAG (CFO): $191,853 total reported compensation
  • JEFFREY RITCHA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $158,763 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Bluestem Communities’ mission is to have a positive impact on quality of life by promoting lifelong wellness, purpose, choice, genuine connection, and personalized care with Christian compassion. Yes, we are a non-profit Christian organization owned and operated by Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities of Kansas, Inc. in Hesston, Kansas. Our services are provided without regard to race, creed, or national origin. Individuals from all Christian denominations live on our campus. Can I afford to live at Schowalter Villa? Yes, our mission is to serve people of all income levels. We offer a wide variety of financial plans and housing options, including rent subsidy units, to meet all income levels.

What it reported doing in 2024

Independent and assisted living independent and assisted living at schowalter villa encourages a community environment where older adults can pursue hobbies and interests, build relationships, and connect with one another. Residents experience multiple daily opportunities to engage with community while also receiving support from an attentive, devoted staff to assist with daily tasks, medication monitoring, and other services. Nurses are available 24 hours a day, if needed. Such support can help older adults maintain health and independence longer. Campus amenities also create multiple opportunities for staying active while receiving helpful support, including the water's edge restaurant, hesston bakery and cafe, bluestem transportation services, two beauty shops and libraries, and a wellness center and pool with multiple exercise classes for residents and community and physical and occupational therapy services.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 94% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.6%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 94.8%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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; 66th 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: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.9%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.49; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.83; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.5%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.1% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 91.6% of revenue deployed · 94.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $18.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $314K · 16 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.5M reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 9 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 50/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.