St Pauls Seminarian and Vicarage Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
393114194
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Minot, ND, USA
Phone
7017215500
Rating
59
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,327,551
Expenses
$18,785
Assets
$1,346,385
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

People named in this filing

  • CRAIG ERAAS (CHAIRMAN)
  • CASSIDY SWANSON (BOARD MEMBER)
  • WADE BEHNKEN (VICE CHAIRMAN/TREASURER)

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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The st pauls seminarian and vicarage foundation holds funds to promote the teaching of the gospel through two main functions. The organization provides scholarship funds to worthy seminary students attending lcms-fort wayne and lcms-st louis seminaries for religious education and training. The organization also provides funding to assist local lcms churches in providing a vicarage for new pastors being installed at the local church.

What it reported doing in 2025

Program provides scholarship funds to worthy seminary students attending lcms-fort wayne and lcms-st louis seminaries for religious education and training.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 91% 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

MIXED - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 28
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 96
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 2.2%; rating input score 2
  • Program expense ratio: 79.9%; rating input score 80
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 98.6%; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 71.67; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 2.2% of revenue deployed · 79.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $15K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 12 of 12 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 2/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.