Pioneer Resources
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 381367329
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Muskegon, MI, USA
- Phone
- 2317735355
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Developmentally Disabled Centers
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $11,068,910
- Expenses
- $9,828,894
- Assets
- $18,941,489
- Liabilities
- $925,454
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
15 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MICHAEL WEESSIES (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- JILL BONTHUIS (EXECUTIVE DI): $140,597 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our mission is to help people with disabilities and seniors attain independence and dignity by creating opportunities for participation in the community: a place to live, a place to learn, a way to get there, a place to grow and play.
What it reported doing in 2024
Transportation: through partnerships with contracted agencies, pioneer resources offers transportation services for persons with mobility impairments, developmental disabilities, seniors, and others facing transportation barriers. Services are provided along the lakeshore in western Michigan (ottawa and muskegon counties). 123,475 individual rides covering 942,017 miles were provided in fy 2025. Recreational programs (larc and senior): the leisure and recreation club (larc) is a club for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their friends, families, and community volunteers. The common purpose for all members is the creation of community-based leisure and recreation opportunities. Recreational senior services, with a focus on socialization and exploring sites in muskegon county, are provided by funding through the muskegon county senior millage. This year 106 individuals participated in larc events and 117 individuals attended senior programs. Pioneer trails: a 40+ acre camp ground designed to provide various camp programs both for pioneer resources and other organizations. It is designed to be barrier free with paved trails and gentle slopes making the woods, waterfront, and buildings accessible for people of all abilities. In 2025, 1,497 people were able to attend events at pioneer trails.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 92% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and the available information about grant readiness federal audit leaves an important question unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 68
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 70
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.7%; rating input score 73
- Program expense ratio: 79.9%; rating input score 80
- Fundraising efficiency: $1.34 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: 11.2%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.93; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.4%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 72.7% of revenue deployed · 79.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $7.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $141K · 15 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $1.1M reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: 2 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.
Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 4/100.
- High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.