An overview of the IRS Form 990 for grantmakers
Interested in gaining a clearer picture of how your favorite charities and foundations operate behind the scenes? IRS Form 990 is a publicly available tool packed with insights that can help you make smarter, more informed decisions.
This course provides a practical introduction to the IRS Form 990. We’ll break down its structure, walk through its key components, and build your confidence in understanding what the form reveals about an organization’s financial health and mission alignment.
This session will help you:
- Identify the parts and schedules of the IRS Form 990 and better understand the information it provides.
- Use the Form 990 as an organizational tool.
- Understand how 990 data can tell a story and where to find the elements of that story.
Sarah Berger joined the McKnight Foundation in 2005 and has been a program officer since 2012. She participates in field-building initiatives, including those in rural and urban Minnesota and nationally. Sarah is a member of the Racial Equity Funders Collaborative in Minnesota and serves as an advocate for increasing equity and justice in philanthropy. She is dedicated to equitable grantmaking practices and is deeply interested in decreasing barriers to funding. Learn more about Sarah. Jeff Williams, Ed.D., is the director of consulting services at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University. With expertise in operations, strategy, data analytics, and public policy, Jeff is passionate about connecting data to people to action. He oversees the center’s annual research agenda and relationships with partner organizations and communities. Learn more about Jeff. This session is open to anyone seeking a basic overview of the IRS Form 990 and will be especially helpful to those working in the nonprofit and grantmaking fields. This course may be canceled if it does not reach the minimum number of registrants. In the event of a cancellation, you will be notified at least two weeks before the course start date and will be offered a full refund or the option to transfer your registration to another Johnson Center course. Refund requests for any other reason must be made at least two weeks prior to the start of the course. Call 616-331-7585 or email jcp@gvsu.edu.
(register by 9/1/26)
Deadline to register: Friday, April 9
Please Note: It is essential to the success of these programs that participants attend the full two-hour sessions, as well as participate in polls, breakout sessions, and discussions (either verbally or via chat). The use of artificial intelligence (AI) of any kind is prohibited. The program will NOT be recorded.
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