Whole Word Institute

Legal name: The 4220 Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
473406578
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Richmond, VA, USA
Phone
+1 (804) 482 0756
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Christianity
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,886,805
Expenses
$5,219,458
Assets
$1,939,573
Liabilities
$2,218,042

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID SWARR (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAVID SWARR (PRESIDENT & CEO): $157,048 total reported compensation
  • DANIEL ARAUJO (CFO): $95,724 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Every person should have access to God’s whole Word—from Genesis to Revelation. For over ten years, Whole Word Institute has prepared translators and teachers in biblical Hebrew to bring the Old Testament directly into languages that have never had it before. Today, these leaders are training the next generation of translators, multiplying access and strengthening translation efforts across nations. We help bring the full story of God’s deep love, rooted in the Old Testament and shown in every verse of His Word, to every person in their own language. That has always been the vision before us: **_The whole Word for the whole World_ What began as a vision is now bearing much fruit as God’s Word reaches new languages, shapes hearts, and lays a foundation for generations to.

What it reported doing in 2024

The whole word institute (wwin) resources the bible translation movement by training translators and consultants in biblical hebrew, oral translation, and deaf translation. It also prepares hebrew speakers, both jewish and arab, to be translation consultants and checkers. The wwin draws from the expertise of premier local institutions while enhancing learning in the unique context of the holy land and its people. The goal of the whole word institute is to enable the training of sufficient consultants and mother tongue translators so that translation of the old testament can begin in every language by the year 2033. Despite two wars, we were able to continue operating our residential programs in the holy land, while continuing development and implementation of a distance learning program (hebrew extension learning program) which serves many more translators and consultants globally, to enable exponential multiplication of whole bible translations. See our full annual report at https://wholewordinstitute.com/annual-report-2024.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 79% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 51% for direct work, 49% for grants, and 0% for affiliated organizations.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 93
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.7%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 87.5%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 50%; rating input score 50; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 19th 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: -6.8%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.37; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.14; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.8%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.4% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24.3% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 93.7% of revenue deployed · 87.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $157K · 10 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $363K reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 50/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.