Shooting Star Foundation

Legal name: The Shooting Star Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
813983985
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Eden Prairie, MN, USA
Phone
7632294768
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Specialized Education Institutions
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$250,498
Expenses
$250,310
Assets
$377,420
Liabilities
$10,111

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KERRY SWANSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KERRY SWANSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $38,010 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Shooting Star Foundation is dedicated to helping children with special needs receive early-interventional therapy that can change their lives.

What it reported doing in 2024

We give financial scholarships to select therapy providers working with children age 0-8 with developmental delays; to help pay for early-interventional therapy needed to help them reach their full potential. By enhancing their access to therapy at a critical period in their development, we offer children the best opportunity to engage in school programs and beyond.2024 key accomplishmentswe provided scholarships and grants to three leading providers of therapy for children with special needs. 1) fraser, 2) sunnydays therapy, and 3) gillette children's.fraser: during 2024, we awarded 7 new scholarship grants for $29,962 to fraser. We expect to award additional scholarships in 2025 to fraser and renew scholarships for 2025 for families that still qualify.sunnydays therapy: during 2024, we awarded 29 new scholarship grants for $76,250 to sunnydays therapy. We expect to award addtional scholarships in 2025 to sunnydays therapy and renew scholarships for 2025 for families that still qualify.gillette children's: during 2024, we awarded $25,000 to the gillette - shooting star financial assistance scholarship fund at gillette.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 71% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 84% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 58
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 69
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 62.7%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 62.7%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.05 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: 0.1%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.51; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.2%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16.5% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 20.1% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 62.7% of revenue deployed · 62.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $157K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $38K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 39/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 52/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.