UWM Foundation

Legal name: The Uwm Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237337744
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone
(414) 906-4640
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$34,069,910
Expenses
$28,107,729
Assets
$297,442,128
Liabilities
$21,429,812

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

Leadership & pay

39 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID GILBERT (PRESIDENT; EX-OFFICIO (THRU MAY 25))
  • CURTIS STANG (COO; INTERIM-PRESIDENT; EX-OFFICIO)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAVID GILBERT (PRESIDENT; EX-OFFICIO (THRU MAY 25)): $378,636 total reported compensation
  • CURTIS STANG (COO; INTERIM-PRESIDENT; EX-OFFICIO): $215,372 total reported compensation
  • ENRIQUE PAHM (IT SYSTEMS MANAGER): $163,935 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 UWM Foundation connects generosity, ideas, and opportunity to advance UW-Milwaukee and our region.

What it reported doing in 2024

Educational programs: research projects conducted by faculty and researchers in various schools at the univeristy of Wisconsin-milwaukee including health sciences, architecture, engineering, letters & sciences, nursing, and graduate school. Education: community service programs including seminars, lectures, and performances sponsored by the university of Wisconsin-milwaukee for the enrichment of the metro-milwaukee community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 80% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. No material rating questions were generated from the available inputs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.9%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 87.3%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $34.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

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: 17.5%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.58; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.2%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 79.9% of revenue deployed · 87.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 31 of 31 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $24.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $379K · 39 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $200K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.