Wisconsin Lions Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
390988901
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Rosholt, WI, USA
Phone
7156774969
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Men's Service Clubs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,781,643
Expenses
$3,068,663
Assets
$6,219,389
Liabilities
$181,714

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DARREL DWYER (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • EVETT HARTVIG (EXECUTIVE DI): $136,132 total reported compensation
  • BRAD BEHRENS (EXECUTIVE DI): $50,953 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide recreational activities to disabled people in Wisconsin and to promote sight and hearing programs.

What it reported doing in 2025

Wisconsin lions sight and used eyeglass programs-over 800,000 pairs of glasses are processed annually. Eyeglasses received at the eyeglass facility are sorted, cleaned, categorized, bagged, and boxed in preparation for shipment to developing countries. These programs also provide materials (ie brochures, dvd's, etc.) to the public through lions clubs regarding the health risks of diabetes and how to manage or prevent the disease.

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.
  • 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.9%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 85.1%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $17.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -10.3%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.03; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.1%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.4% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.9% of revenue deployed · 85.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $136K · 23 people listed
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 55/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 50/100.