Monarch Butterfly Fund

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
943299134
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025
Location
Madison, WI, USA
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Reported finances

Revenue
$149,934
Expenses
$135,702
Assets
$111,371

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Karen Oberhauser (Treasurer)
  • Donald Davis (Chair)
  • Liz Goehring (Vice-chair)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The Monarch Butterfly Funds mission is to foster the conservation of North American monarch butterflies and their migration through habitat conservation research monitoring education and support for sustainable community development in and near monarch habitats in Mexico.

What it reported doing in 2025

Every year we provide one to four $4,000 grants to assist undergraduate or graduate students conducting research on monarch butterfly conservation and their habitats via the Brower Awards

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 72.5%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 80%; rating input score 80

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9.5%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.82; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 72.5% of revenue deployed · 80% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments · $109K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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 — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 52/100.