National Credit Union Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391383650
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Madison, WI, USA
Phone
6082315771
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,487,162
Expenses
$4,831,335
Assets
$16,117,483
Liabilities
$1,628,803

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

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SCOTT SIMPSON (PRESIDENT (AS OF 11/2025))
  • LAUREN E CULP (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • JIM NUSSLE (PRESIDENT (TERM 11/2025))

Highest reported compensation

  • LAUREN E CULP (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $482,443 total reported compensation
  • ANDRE T PARRAWAY (CHIEF FINANCIAL & OPERATIONS OFFICER): $364,743 total reported compensation
  • DANIELLE BROWN (CHIEF ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR): $315,245 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The national credit union foundation envisions a world where everyone can achieve financial well-being. We exist to improve financial well-being with and through credit unions. We do this through two strategic priorities. First, we inspire and educate credit union professionals about financial well-being and the credit union mission. Second, we help credit unions make more impact and improve the financial well-being of their members and communities. Put another way, we work to innovate and operationalize financial well-being.

What it reported doing in 2025

Credit union development education (de) program: the de program is an education program for established and emerging leaders within the credit union movement. This program explores how credit unions can leverage their unique business model to solve core development issues that prevent the prosperity and financial well-being of their members and communities. Participants take part in a number of lessons, activities and group projects to demonstrate effective learning and potential for application. Upon completion, attendees earn their credit union development educator (cude) designation. The de program is offered as an in-person and online training. Since 1982, more than 3,000 credit union professionals have earned their cude designation and used this new knowledge to improve the quality of life for their members, colleagues, and communities around the globe. More information is available at: de program information (ncuf.coop).

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 58% for direct work, and 42% for grants.

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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 53
  • Transparency & Controls: 81
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 56
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.3%; rating input score 57
  • Program expense ratio: 58%; rating input score 58
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 62.7%; rating input score 63; 23rd 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: 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: 12%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.34; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 37%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57.3% of revenue deployed · 58% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $482K · 26 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $348K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 29 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 22 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 22/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.