The University of Iowa Louis Shulman Hillel Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The mission of Iowa Hillel is to enhance the lives of Jewish students at the University of Iowa, so they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. Iowa Hillel envisions a world for our students where they find a community here at Iowa and a place to create or explore their connection to Judaism in a way that is meaningful for them that lasts far beyond their years at school.
- Income
- $371,641
- Spending
- $414,378
- Spent on programs
- 74%
- Reserves
- 44.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 95%
- Employees
- 10
- Volunteers
- 40
- Highest pay
- $84,782, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 89 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 44.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 11% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1574% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 81 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 259 of 9 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $31,480 spent. Shabbat dinners and Jewish Holidays:Shabbat dinners are the highlight of the week for a lot of our students because they get a variety of meals such as mac'n'cheese, smoked meats, ratatouille, chicken piccata, and many more! The Jewish fraternity on campus hosts a Shabbat dinner at Hillel once a semester where brothers come in to help set up the space and even help out in the kitchen with cooking and serving the meal. Students help with each process of our Shabbat dinners from working with our chef in the kitchen and leading services. Our Shabbat dinners range from 30-80 students on a weekly basis. While most Shabbat dinners are at Hillel, once a semester students have the chance to host Shabbat dinners in their homes, which Hillel staff helps prepare students to do. Iowa Hillel hosts programming, meals, and opportunities for learning around the Jewish holidays during the academic year. Prior to Rosh Hashanah, Hillel students gave out more than 500 apples on the main walkway on campus with informational cards about what the holiday is and how Jewish people celebrate. During Sukkot, staff built a Sukkah with graduate and undergraduate students, which students then decorate. One of our largest Jewish holiday celebrations is Passover. Nearly one hundred students attended our seder at Hillel, and this year we initiated a pilot program with the University of Iowa Housing and Dining to allow students with meal plans through the University to utilize their meal swipes at Hillel during Passover to allow them to incur no cost for the meals.
- $37,029 spent. Israel Education and Jewish Learning - This year we were fortunate to have the University of Iowa put together a festival of contemporary music from Israel. With this happening, we were able to create multiple programmatic opportunities for our students around this series including attending a dinner with Hillel staff, University faculty and staff, and their peers before going to the Holocaust Memorial Concert. Students have the opportunity to connect to Israel through our three different Kol Yisrael 6 week courses at Hillel over dinner, through our speaker series and cooking classes, and by going on Birthright with their Iowa classmates or on Onward. We also launched a Hebrew conversation hour led by one of our Israeli education majors. We have a regular program where we shut down our building once a month to host students at a local Israeli-owned coffee shop where they get to have a snack on Hillel and partake in Israeli trivia. We offer the Jewish Learning Fellowship classes that students can take for 10 weeks, which are run multiple times in the semester. These classes are taught by Hillel staff and students receive a stipend upon completion and a warm meal for each session. Having these smaller classes allows students to connect more deeply with each other as well as the material. We find that once students take a JLF course, they are more actively engaged in Jewish life on campus.
- $27,116 spent. Engagement and Outreach - Engagement and Outreach encompases are work in helping students connect socially and reaching out to Jewish students on campus. Staff and student leaders take students out for one-on-one conversations to get to know one another better and explain what Hillel is. On top of that, our staff is trained to pick up on small things that can help us engage students on a more meaningful level later on as we are able to create opportunities suited for the individual based on information we were able to obtain from our conversations. This academic year, we also launched our Hillel FreshFest programs with move-in open houses for incoming families, bagel brunch, tie-dye, and scavenger hunts, which we credit as part of having such high levels of first year continued engagement during the school year. Another new initiative that was successful was a Jewish Business Association trip to Chicago, where current majors were able to connect with alumni who work in various companies, so that they're able to think about what comes next and start connecting with their future Iowa Hillel alumni community.
- $212,002 spent. Other Programs that foster Jewish vitality through the promotion of Jewish values, student empowerment and engagement.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since January 1996.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.