Wisconsin · Nonprofit
SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC
SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC (Wisconsin) receives grants from 142 organizations whose IRS filings report $5,656,933 to it, the largest being SPECIAL OLYMPICS INC ($2,826,789). 79 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $5.6M
- Funders on record
- 142
- Grants received
- $5.7M
- Net assets
- $7.9M
What Special Olympics Wisconsin Inc does
Mission
The mission of special olympics wisconsin, inc. Is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other special olympics athletes and the community.using sports as the catalyst, special olympics works to end inactivity, injustice and intolerance, thus leading to a more respectful and inclusive society for all.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Games & competition:special olympics wisconsin (sowi) provides free year-round training and competitions in olympic-style sports to athletes, of any age and skill level, across the state. Athletes have opportunities to compete through local competitions, regional tournaments and state-level games where they push hard and play harder. They strive to beat their personal bests and build a positive self-image which carries over into the home, classroom, workplace and community.athletes may also progress to advanced competition at the national and world level. Regardless of the level of competition, athletes are continually encouraged to carry out the athlete oath: "let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
$1,518,369 spentof which $747 as grants$79,352 earned by the program34% of program spendingOutreach:by engaging individuals in the special olympics experience, communities foster a supportive environment for enabling athletes, empowering families, activating youth, revolutionizing services and building exemplary communities of change.annual programming efforts include unified sports, which combines athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to form teams for training and competition; young athletes, where all children age two to seven learn sports skills; camp shriver, offers hundreds of children with and without disabilities to enjoy a camp experience; and athlete leadership program, where athletes are trained for leadership positions in special olympics wisconsin and their communities.
$830,122 spentof which $90,026 as grants19% of program spendingTraining:special olympics wisconsin offers a variety of training and education opportunities for athletes, coaches and officials.at each of the state games, athletes receive free education and health care screening through the healthy athletes program, ensuring optimal health and performance during competition. Health disciplines include oral, vision, audiology, podiatry, strength and flexibility, nutrition and healthy habits, as well as general health. Few people impact our athletes' success more than our coaches. From overseeing sports skills and practices to teaching about sportsmanship, courage and personal growth; they serve an important role in our athletes' lives. To ensure they have the tools needed to succeed, sowi hosts annual training forums on current practices for each sport per the national governing body (ngb). Each year, volunteer coaches and officials are certified to deliver authentic, competitive sporting events, mirroring an athlete's experience of other reputable sports organizations. Sowi athletes may also become coaches and pursue other leadership and training opportunities.
$717,636 spentof which $1,544 as grants16% of program spendingAgency:expense related to the operations of local programs.
$686,262 spent15% of program spendingPublic education:every athlete has a story. With every athlete in the special olympics wisconsin program, there are equally as many stories about courage, triumph, pride and joy. Sowi's goal is to empower individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society using sports as the catalyst; and increase the public's awareness of their capabilities and needs.by engaging individuals in the special olympics experience through earned, owned and paid media, communities foster a supportive environment for enabling athletes, empowering families, activating youth, revolutionizing services and building exemplary communities of change.
$685,113 spent15% of program spending
The 5 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $4,437,502.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2018 to 2019, from $4.1M to $6.5M (+59%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 4% · 2018 3% · 2019 3% · 2020 14% · 2021 29% · 2022 19% · 2023 4% · 2024 3%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
73% of SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (13% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 4 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Chad Hershner
President/CEO
Board chair
Marc Cadieux
Board chair
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
The chief executive listed changed between the FY2021 and FY2022 filings.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 30 funders to 55 funders, grant income rose $345k → $605k.
22 of 142 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 18% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 142 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 50% of grant income and the top three 60%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
88% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 34% · 2018 40% · 2019 49% · 2020 36% · 2021 43% · 2022 28% · 2023 40% — growing more concentrated.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
45% of SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 56% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC draws 66% of its grant income from funders outside Wisconsin, across 20 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $1.0M arriving through sponsors registered in 13 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC is better cushioned than half of the 2,732 recreation & sports nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 2,732 recreation & sports nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Wisconsin
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
78% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
93%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC?
- SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC (Wisconsin) receives grants from 142 organizations whose IRS filings report $5,656,933 to it, the largest being SPECIAL OLYMPICS INC ($2,826,789). 79 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC have?
- IRS filings report 142 organizations giving $5,656,933 in grants to SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC, 79 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC?
- SPECIAL OLYMPICS INC is the largest funder on record, with $2,826,789 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like SPECIAL OLYMPICS WISCONSIN INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Wisconsin. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 142 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing