Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 1961.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
72 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
22 people listed on the 990; $130K paid to officers and key staff.
Ashley Olson’s $130K as Executive Di is at the 55th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3924 $1–10M arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 1 named individual · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley Olson | $129,672 | $116,301 | $108,814 | $110,187 |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Preserves Willa Cather's legacy through education, historic sites, and the arts.
Questions for The Willa Cather Foundation
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The foundation conserved a tract of native prairie and provided upkeep and maintenance on historic buildings and preservation of archival collections. All historic buildings and collections relate directly to the life and times of willa cather.
The foundation provided various seminars, conferences, guided tours, and educational programs on the life, times, and settings of willa cather. Arts programs and exhibitions are also provided regularily in its restored red cloud opera house, which figured prminently in the life of young willa cather.
The foundation provided numerous educational scholarships for individuals who were furthering literary education.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $468K | $801K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $7.1M | $6.8M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $14.6M | $16.3M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $25.5M | $26.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $412K | $212K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $25.1M | $26.0M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $9K | $9K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $745K | $484K | $218K | $42K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $55K | $33K | $21K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $55K | $22K | $19K | $14K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $5K | $5K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $37K | $37K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $36K | $36K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $13K | $12K | $978 | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $44K | $44K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $45K | $33K | $9K | $3K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $9K | $5K | $4K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $60K | $51K | $9K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $12K | $6K | $3K | $3K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $63K | $59K | $4K | $219 |
| InterestLn 20 | $581 | $581 | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $387K | $365K | $22K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $79K | $63K | $16K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $235K | $194K | $10K | $32K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $55K | $15K | $39K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.9M | $1.4M | $453K | $96K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $2.5M | $1.9M | $538K | $26.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $4.6M | $1.8M | $2.8M | $25.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $3.2M | $1.5M | $1.7M | $21.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $3.1M | $1.5M | $1.6M | $20.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $4.7M | $1.0M | $3.7M | $20.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $2.6M | $1.0M | $1.6M | $16.4M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $2,481,847 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 21 of 21 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,481,847 across 12 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,943,636 across 19 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $26,232,627 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $26,020,403 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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