Youngstown State University Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
346576610
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Youngstown, Ohio, USA
Phone
330-941-3211
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$38,801,829
Expenses
$26,186,693
Assets
$392,044,797
Liabilities
$13,441,590

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

Leadership & pay

53 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • PAUL MCFADDEN (PRESIDENT)
  • HEATHER CHUNN (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • PAUL MCFADDEN (PRESIDENT): $309,557 total reported compensation
  • HEATHER CHUNN (VICE PRESIDENT): $179,360 total reported compensation
  • BRIAN NORD (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $143,136 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 Youngstown State University Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that supports student scholarships, student development, and career opportunities.

What it reported doing in 2024

The youngstown state university foundation (ysu foundation) is an independent, non-profit organization focused on supporting student scholarships, student development, and career opportunities. The ysu foundation is a catalytic force for the advancement of ysu, the youngstown community, and northeast Ohio. Ysuf is a critical source of support, opportunity, and excellence for ysu students and university programs. The competition for students in higher education has never been greater. The ysu foundation, providing over $22.8 million in annual scholarship aid, has historically designed scholarship awards to provide access to attend ysu. One of the ysu foundation's important initiatives is the student investment fund. The foundation also provides grants to youngstown state university for the purpose of lectures and symposiums and for the operations of various departments and centers.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 77% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 88
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.7%; rating input score 88
  • Program expense ratio: 89.8%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $26.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 32.5%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 14.97; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.9%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 87.7% of revenue deployed · 89.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 44 of 44 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $23.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $310K · 53 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $741K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.