William Penn University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 420707120
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Oskaloosa, IA, US
- Phone
- 800-779-7366
- Rating
- 87
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- University or Technological Institute
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $51,407,341
- Expenses
- $49,285,425
- Assets
- $86,215,453
- Liabilities
- $44,877,280
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
24 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JOHN OTTOSSON (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- JOHN OTTOSSON (PRESIDENT): $261,437 total reported compensation
- BONNIE L JOHNSON (CFO): $154,879 total reported compensation
- NOEL STAHLE (VP OF ACADEM): $126,953 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
William Penn University provides the opportunity for an educational experience with a focus on leadership, technology, and the Quaker principles of simplicity, peace-making, integrity, community, and equality.
What it reported doing in 2024
Students services, including student development, academic and career counseling, intercollegiate athletics, financial assistance and other services, was provided to 1,568 full and part time students. Cost of sales, support and maintenance of campus bookstore for students, faculty and staff.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 80% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 54% for direct work, and 46% for 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. Some related-organization disclosures are missing and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 86
- Transparency & Controls: 87
- Accountability: 92
- Sustainability: 54
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 87.5%; rating input score 88
- Program expense ratio: 91%; rating input score 91
- Fundraising efficiency: $29.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Scored; rating input score 0
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 95.5%; rating input score 95; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.1%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.75; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.52; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.3%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 15th 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: 87.5% of revenue deployed · 91% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 21 of 22 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $44.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $261K · 24 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $5.7M reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 11 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: 4 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.