Via Christi Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
364943550
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2019, Form 990-T 2024
Location
St Louis, MO, USA
Phone
3147338000
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,386,885
Expenses
$2,886,701
Assets
$28,309,655
Liabilities
$627,735

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID L ALEXANDER (EX-OFFICIO/PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL MCCULLOUGH (FORMER OFFICER (END 3/2023)): $1,146,026 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL ARTHUR WEGNER (CFO, MINISTRY MARKET): $679,547 total reported compensation
  • MIKE D JOY (FORMER OFFICER (END 1/2024)): $396,532 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Rooted in the loving ministry of jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually centered holistic care which sustains and improves the health of individuals and via christi foundation provides leadership, planning and implementation of ascension via christi's efforts to raise philanthropic support of its mission to provide excellent healthcare to the community and region.

What it reported doing in 2024

The filing organization is a part of the ascension catholic health ministry. Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization that delivers personalized, compassionate care to all, especially to those who need it the most. The via christi foundation provides critical support to patients and families through a wide range of programs. Our patient assistance program offers transportation, durable medical equipment, medications, and clothing for individuals facing financial hardship, ensuring access to essential care and resources. We are also proud to fund many important endeavors through the children's miracle network hospital at ascension via christi, which serves children across Kansas regardless of diagnosis or ability to pay. Families benefit directly through this support, receiving care that puts the needs of children and their well-being first. Another vital area of impact is our forensic nursing program. In 2025 alone, ascension via christi forensic nursing services cared for 550 victims of assault. With the help of grant funding, we trained three new sexual assault nurse examiners (sanes), sent four nurses to the international association of forensic nurses annual conference, and supported continuing education at the Kansas coalition against sexual and domestic violence human trafficking conference. We also moved into a new sane suite, one of only three facilities in sedgwick county providing medical forensic examinations. Together, our team cares for nearly 600 cases each year-offering dignity, compassion, and expert care to patients in crisis. Beyond direct patient assistance-whether through pediatrics, forensic nursing, behavioral health, or the rehabilitation hospital-the foundation also invests in capital projects and operational support to strengthen the overall mission of ascension via christi.

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 95% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 58
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 73
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.1%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 66.7%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.8%; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 77.8%; rating input score 78; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 34.2%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.81; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.9%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.9% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24.4% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.1% of revenue deployed · 66.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 18 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.1M · 21 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 382 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 9/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.