Shimer College C/o Robinson Curley Pc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
362167921
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3122353515
Rating confidence
Limited
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$0
Expenses
$8,149
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

2 people listed

People named in this filing

  • CINDY HYNDMAN (CHAIR)
  • MARY LOU KENNEDY (SECRETARY)

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

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Shimer college formerly provided and preserved education centered on discussion of enduring questions and issues. Historically influential original sources were studied through socratic questioning in small seminar classes, following the kind of great books curriculum advocated by robert maynard hutchins. The core values informing education at shimer were free inquiry, dialog, critical open-mindedness, and integration of disciplines. The college offered all members of its community the opportunity to participate meaningfully in deciding the future of the institution. A shimer education demanded much of both the intellect and the character of students, and prepared them for responsible citizenship and the examined life. On june 1, 2017 north central college purchased most of liquid assets of shimer college and formed the shimer great books school.

What it reported doing in 2023

Shimer college was closed during the 2017 fiscal year. The college board of trustees voted on june 25, 2024 to dissolve the college and distribute all remaining funds to north central college.

Operating model

Revenue model
No positive adjusted resources. The filing reports no positive adjusted operating resources.
Distribution model
No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 0
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 8
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: Limited
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -33.6% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -19% per year; rating input score 0; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -11.3% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 2 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 2 people listed
  • Consistency: 10 of 10 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2009 to 2023
  • 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.

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: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.