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
64 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
27 people listed on the 990.
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.
See The Willa Cather Foundation executive salaries →Are you one of these people? Claim this org to confirm your role
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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.
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The foundation 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 regularly in its restored red cloud opera house, which figured prominently 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 FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $1.4M | $1.5M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $5.0M | $5.3M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $2.2M | $2.7M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $16.1M | $17.6M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.2M | $1.2M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $14.8M | $16.4M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $9K | $9K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $419K | $344K | $46K | $29K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $36K | $29K | $7K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $31K | $26K | $5K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $17K | $17K | ||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $34K | $34K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $600 | $600 | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $15K | $15K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $4K | $4K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $47K | $47K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $6K | $634 | $4K | $466 |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $25K | $11K | $14K | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $132K | $1K | $131K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $34K | $23K | $11K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $136K | $105K | $11K | $20K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $79K | $42K | $30K | $7K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.0M | $653K | $281K | $91K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $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 Viewing | $2.6M | $1.0M | $1.6M | $16.4M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $2,595,534 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 26 of 26 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,595,534 across 13 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,024,756 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $17,551,726 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $16,400,361 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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