Orono Foundation for Education

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
411974305
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Long Lake, MN, USA
Phone
9525456873
Rating
90
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$980,265
Expenses
$1,019,552
Assets
$3,001,200
Liabilities
$210,823

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • LAURA KLOSS (DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND DONOR STEWARDSHIP): $81,472 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The orono foundation for education works to harness the community's time, talent and financial resources to ensure the orono school district has the resources to continue its tradition of excellence and to empower all students to achieve their highest potential.

What it reported doing in 2024

Excellence funds other temporary restricted funds (i.e. Excellence funds), are for specific usess by the school and these donations are granted as requested by the district and approved by the foundation. Excellence funds include: academics/literacy, character, arts, athletics, building and grounds, leadership and ethics, educator excellence, and technology. Other excellence funds may be created from time to time as determined by the board. This year, the foundation granted the schools $630,000 through it's excelence funds. This amount includes $350,000 from building and grounds that went toward the new college & career center at orono high school and improvements to lighting in the ohs auditorium. In addition, $110,000 from educator excellence enhancing teacher and staff professional development opportunities across the district, $125,000 from academics/literacy to support k-8 literacy and reading intervention as well as the new mn state mandated arts & letters curriculum adoption, and $45,000 for character education resources and teacher/staff training across all grades - pre-k to 12th grade.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 85% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 95% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 91
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 87%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -4%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.94; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.2% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 87% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $887K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $81K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 26/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.