The Jet Award Foundation & Trust

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
812280198
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Lincoln, NE, USA
Phone
4024239500
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$671,347
Expenses
$611,248
Assets
$1,149,298
Liabilities
$37,725

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • VINCE LEISEY (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL C SEVERE (EXECUTIVE DI): $147,958 total reported compensation
  • JOHNNY RODGERS (BOARD MEMBER): $26,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The foundation's primary mission is to help end generational poverty by raising money for the johnny rodgers career and technical scholarships. Providing support to students with financial need in the way of a two year scholarship, enabling them to pursue degrees in career and technical education programs at metropolitan community college (mcc) in omaha. The jet award foundation and trust also annually celebrates the elite kick-off and punt returner in college football. Despite the recognition given to various positions in college football through postseason awards, the return specialist has been overlooked until the establishment of the jet award. The foundation aims to honor and acknowledge the best return specialist in college football each year.

What it reported doing in 2025

The jet award foundation & trust's primary mission and accomplishment is to support students with financial need in the way of a two year scholarship, enabling them to pursue degrees in career and technical education programs. Academic year 7.1.25 - 6.30.26 resulted in the foundation providing scholarships to 135 students at metropolitan community college.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. 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: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.2%; rating input score 57
  • Program expense ratio: 59.9%; rating input score 60
  • Fundraising efficiency: $58.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.88; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 28.5%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 56.5% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57.2% of revenue deployed · 59.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $366K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $148K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.