Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Sep 2015.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
88 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
13 people listed on the 990; $87K paid to officers and key staff.
Eric Couto’s $164K as Director is at the 94th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1031 $100K–1M civil rights & advocacy 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 · 4 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Couto | $164,000 | — | — | — | $106,000 | $110,077 |
| Kristina Sandherr | $102,000 | $62,038 | — | — | — | — |
| John Smallwood | — | $25,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | — | — |
| Robert Bauman | — | — | — | — | $58,605 | $55,509 |
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 Wisconsin Progress INC executive salaries →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
Recruits and trains progressive candidates to build a network of elected leaders in Wisconsin.
Questions for Wisconsin Progress INC
Your first name shows with your question. Wisconsin Progress INC answers here, for everyone.
Founded in 2009, wisconsin progress is a state-based candidate recruitment and training program, responsible for building a progressive network of elected leaders at the local and state level. Our candidates represent the next generation of progressive leaders in wisconsin.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $134K | $72K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $134K | $72K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $25K | $224 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $109K | $72K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $87K | $44K | $22K | $22K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $404K | $404K | ||
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $38K | $27K | $6K | $6K |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $5K | $5K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $633 | $633 | ||
| Information technologyLn 14 | $781 | $781 | ||
| InterestLn 20 | $3K | $1K | $1K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $8K | $4K | $4K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $39K | $36K | $3K | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $3K | $1K | $2K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $590K | $520K | $40K | $31K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $479K | $343K | $137K | $208K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 6, 2025 | $553K | $590K | −$38K | $72K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 12, 2024 | $527K | $447K | $80K | $109K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Nov 15, 2023 | $305K | $355K | −$51K | $29K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS May 16, 2022 | $387K | $309K | $78K | $81K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Nov 12, 2021 | $340K | $324K | $16K | $10K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $552,884 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 11 of 11 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $552,884 across 5 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $590,432 across 11 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $71,975 assets, 7 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $71,751 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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