Black Hills State University Foundation

Also known as Steve Meeker

Spearfish, SD · EIN 23-7428348 · 501(c)(3) · Organization operated for a governmental college or university
Latest filing: Form 990 for calendar year 2024 (tax year 2024) · View the filing · Correct or respond

Black Hills State University Foundation reported $19.9 million in revenue and $5.3 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $88.23 went to program services, $10.05 to management and general costs and $1.72 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 88.0% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $250,131 (VP OF FINANC). Revenue rose 848% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.

Where $100 of spending went

Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $5.3M

Program services$88.23 $4.6M
Management & general$10.05 $529K
Fundraising$1.72 $90,698

For context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).

Where $100 of revenue came from

Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $20M

Contributions & grants (non-government)$88.00 $18M
Investment income$8.87 $1.8M
Other revenue$3.13 $624K

The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades

2024 filing. Median across 5,499 covered charities in this category, from their latest filings.
Measure	2024	Median
Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A)	88.2%	84.4%
Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A)	10.0%	13.4%
Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A)	1.7%	0.8%
Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h	$0.01	$0.04
Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12	88.0%	19.1%
Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12	0.0%	1.1%
Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12	0.0%	69.9%
Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F	$250,131	$331,578
Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A)	4.75%	1.28%
People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2	Not reported	8
Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses	113.6	13.3
Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b	43 of 43	100.0%

A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.

What the money paid for, in its own words

2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expense

$2.8M expenses · 60.1% of program spending · grants $2.8M

Provide scholarships and awards to students of Black Hills State University. The organization awarded 962 scholarships

$1.8M expenses · 37.9% of program spending · grants $267K

Institutional support of management and special projects related to Black Hills State University

$94,263 expenses · 2.0% of program spending · grants $1,204

Develop and maintain relationships with alumni of bhsu

Highest reported compensation

2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here

Role	From this org	From related orgs	Other	Total
VP OF FINANC Highest compensated employee, 1.00 hrs/week	$0	$208,974	$41,157	$250,131
EXEC VICE PR Officer, 27.00 hrs/week	$0	$206,624	$40,816	$247,440

6 years of filings

Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linked

RevenueExpenses

Filing	Revenue	Expenses	Programs	Net assets	Top pay
2024 ⓘ	$20M	$5.3M	88.2%	$50M	$250,131
2023 ⓘ	$5.2M	$2.9M	79.8%	$33M	$239,516
2022 ⓘ	$4.3M	$2.0M	82.6%	$28M	$228,730
2021 ⓘ	$3.4M	$1.8M	78.7%	$30M	$214,270
2020 ⓘ	$3.9M	$1.9M	87.2%	$26M	$178,507
2019 ⓘ	$2.1M	$1.9M	78.3%	$23M	$185,321

Governance answers, as filed

2024 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means

Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b43 · 43 independent
Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aNo
Whistleblower policy Part VI 13No
Document retention policy Part VI 14No
Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aNo
Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2Yes
Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
Employees Part I, line 55
Volunteers Part I, line 642

Private foundation grants it received

3 private foundations reported grants to Black Hills State University Foundation totaling $148K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.

Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.

Correct a figure or respond

Every number above is copied from Black Hills State University Foundation's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Black Hills State University Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.

Report a correction Respond as Black Hills State University…How this works

Similar-sized charities in this cause

Freedom Prep Charter School
Florham Park, NJ · revenue $20M · programs 67.0% · FY2023
The Ohio State University Alumni Association
Columbus, OH · revenue $20M · programs 59.8% · FY2025
Community School of Davidson
Davidson, NC · revenue $20M · programs 79.1% · FY2025
Denver Christian Schools
Lakewood, CO · revenue $20M · programs 89.1% · FY2025
Boys Latin of Philadelphia Charter Schoo
Philadelphia, PA · revenue $20M · programs 78.8% · FY2025

All education charities · Largest charities in South Dakota

Questions people ask

How much of Black Hills State University Foundation's spending goes to programs?

In calendar year 2024, Black Hills State University Foundation reported that 88.2% of its $5.3 million in expenses went to program services, 10.0% to management and general and 1.7% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).

How much does Black Hills State University Foundation pay its top executive?

The largest total compensation Black Hills State University Foundation reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $250,131, for the role of VP OF FINANC (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).

Where does Black Hills State University Foundation get its money?

Of $19.9 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 88.0% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).

Is Black Hills State University Foundation a registered charity?

The IRS lists EIN 23-7428348 as a 501(c)(3) organization (organization operated for a governmental college or university), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.

Sources

2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202513169349301241 · read the filing · XML
2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202443129349304909 · read the filing
2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202312839349300446 · read the filing
2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202213189349311751 · read the filing
2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202103199349313980 · read the filing
2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202022889349301022 · read the filing

All filings for EIN 23-7428348: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.