Thoreau College Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
510573715
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Viroqua, WI, USA
Phone
6086326420
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Reported finances

Revenue
$380,535
Expenses
$406,005
Assets
$465
Liabilities
$11,208

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JACOB HUNDT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • JULIE TOMARO (PRESIDENT)
  • SUE NOBLE (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JACOB HUNDT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $39,500 total reported compensation
  • MARY E FRANKLIN (SECRETARY): $18,600 total reported compensation
  • LIAM MCGILLIGAN (DIRECTOR): $10,050 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 purpose of thoreau college, inc. Is to carry out short-term and long-term educational programs designed to support the well-being of society and of the human being, inspired by the work of rudolf steiner, l.l. Nunn, henry david thoreau and n.f.s. Grundtvig.

What it reported doing in 2024

Staged gap year and fellowsip programs with a total of 25 young adults and a three-day shakespeare festival with over 200 attendees.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 72
  • Sustainability: 16
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.5%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 81.1%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.98 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th 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: Limited
  • 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: 3 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6.7%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 24.1; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.8%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.1% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4.2% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -93.9% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.5% of revenue deployed · 81.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 3 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $329K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $40K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 27/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.