The International Student Exchange Programs

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
522035371
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Arlington, VA, USA
Phone
7035049960
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Academic Exchange

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$20,718,631
Expenses
$19,996,340
Assets
$10,920,352
Liabilities
$6,875,903

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

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN S LUCAS (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
  • KRISTEN AGUTO (VICE PRESIDENT, MEMBER RELATIONS)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN S LUCAS (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $346,517 total reported compensation
  • EDSON OLDS (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $225,225 total reported compensation
  • ROBIN ABBOTT (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $171,028 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Isep empowers higher education institutions to expand the perspectives and potential of students around the world through our wide range of accessible, authentic academic intercultural programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Isep direct- allow students to attend international institutions on a fee-for-service basis. Isep provides pre-departure advising, on-site support, and acts as a liaison with host institutions. Some direct programs also include in-country community service and supervised volunteer service at ngos. Direct programs are available to both members and affiliates. During fy 2025 we served 1425 students in our direct programs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 99% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 94% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.7%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 84.7%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.34 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Pass
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Pass
  • Grant itemization coverage: 96.6%; rating input score 97; 26th 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; 66th 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: 3.5%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.55; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.63; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.7%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.7% of revenue deployed · 84.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $16.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $347K · 28 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.4M reported
  • Consistency: 42 of 43 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 22/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 45/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.