University of Northern Iowa Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 426058591
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Cedar Falls, IA, US
- Phone
- 319-273-6078
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Single Organization Support
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $33,983,779
- Expenses
- $32,998,439
- Assets
- $309,712,656
- Liabilities
- $6,313,184
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
42 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JIM JERMIER (BOARD PRESIDENT)
- MICHAEL HAGER (BOARD VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- JIM JERMIER (BOARD PRESIDENT): $304,371 total reported compensation
- STEVE GEARHART (ASSOCIATE VP FOR ADVANCEMENT): $190,107 total reported compensation
- NOREEN HERMANSEN (VP FOR PRINCIPAL GIFTS): $189,170 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 UNI Foundation grows and sustains private resources and builds relationships to support UNI students, faculty, staff, programs and the university.
What it reported doing in 2024
Scholarships, primarily for the benefit of students at the university of northern Iowa - scholarship recipients are chosen by the university of northern Iowa faculty, department heads, deans, financial aid officers, or a combination of these. Scholarship recipients are selected according to scholarship guidelines written at the time the scholarship is established. The university of northern Iowa foundation (uni foundation) administers the funds for scholarships supported by private gifts.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 81% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 73% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 75
- Transparency & Controls: 64
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 66
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 86.2%; rating input score 86
- Program expense ratio: 74.3%; rating input score 74
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Missing
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- 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: 2.9%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.39; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.3%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 86.2% of revenue deployed · 74.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 32 of 32 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $24.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $304K · 42 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $735K reported
- Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 11 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 57/100.