Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin reported $9.6 million in revenue and $10.4 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $74.83 went to program services, $10.74 to management and general costs and $14.43 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 89.6% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $309,994 (PRESIDENT & CEO (THRU 4/30/25)). 4 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 53% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending August 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $10MFor context, the median across 5,634 covered health care charities: $86.19 programs, $13.81 management, $0.00 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending August 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $9.6M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$89.43 $8.6M
- Program service revenue$0.08 $7,350
- Investment income$10.49 $1.0M
Other revenue was negative: −$18,532. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 74.8% | 85.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 10.7% | 13.7% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 14.4% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.17 | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 89.6% | 1.3% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.1% | 93.7% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $309,994 | $975,831 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.97% | 1.34% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 4 | 27 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 23.2 | 6.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 22 of 22 | 88.9% |
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
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseHighest reported compensation
FY2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT & CEO (THRU 4/30/25) Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $248,830 | $0 | $61,164 | $309,994 |
| PRESIDENT & CEO (AS OF 3/1/25) Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $128,296 | $0 | $68,676 | $196,972 |
| VP OF FINANCE AND OPERATION Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $118,628 | $0 | $33,123 | $151,751 |
| SR. REGIONAL DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $124,200 | $0 | $16,807 | $141,007 |
4 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $686K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · 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–1b22 · 22 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- 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 530
- Volunteers Part I, line 6447
Private foundation grants it received
27 private foundations reported grants to Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin totaling $295K 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 Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin spent in FY2025, $74.83 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin reported that 74.8% of its $10.4 million in expenses went to program services, 10.7% to management and general and 14.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin reported for one person in the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025 was $309,994, for the role of PRESIDENT & CEO (THRU 4/30/25) (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin get its money?
Of $9.6 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025, 89.6% came from contributions and grants and 0.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 39-1543541 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), 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
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025, object 202631149349301028 · read the filing
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2024, object 202500559349300925 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2023, object 202420519349301752 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2022, object 202341779349301504 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2021, object 202221759349300637 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2020, object 202130819349300828 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 39-1543541: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.