SUPPORTING YOUR MISSION

Accounting, Tax & CFO Services for Independent Schools

From tuition and financial-aid accounting to Form 990 and your annual audit, we handle the numbers so your team can focus on students.

Serving Seattle-area independent schools since 1971 · Licensed WA CPAs

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Accounting Built Around How Independent Schools Actually Operate

Greenwood Ohlund provides accounting for independent schools in the Seattle area. Our school financial reporting clients in Seattle have included K-12 schools and preschools, but also scholarship funds, after-school programs, and entire education foundations. Any general accountant can track the money. We report it in the ways your accreditors require.

We also handle the audits your board and accreditors expect, alongside Form 990 filings and endowment tracking that keeps restricted gifts accounted for correctly.

OUR CLIENTS

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The Challenges Educational Nonprofits Face

We record your tuition net of financial aid (not at full sticker price) and recognize it over the school year as classes happen, not all at once when a payment clears.

We follow Washington’s Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act for your endowment investments, and we track donor-restricted endowments separately from board-designated funds on your books. It’s all about accounting for restricted dollars on the terms donors set.

We report your expenses by both function and nature in one place, the way ASU 2016-14 requires, so your board and accreditors see a clear, compliant breakdown.

WHAT WE DO

How We Support Educational Nonprofits

Tax Services

Form 990 filings and unrelated business income questions, handled by people who know what the IRS expects and what your board needs to sign off on.

Audit & Assurance

Financial statement audits and Single Audits your board and accreditors trust, backed by decades of nonprofit audit experience.

Accounting & CFO Services

Tuition and financial-aid accounting, endowment tracking, and reporting built around your academic year.

What Makes Educational Nonprofits Accounting Different

Every kind of nonprofit has its own tangle of rules. None of them is unreasonable on its own, but all of them at once makes education-nonprofit accounting feel like advanced calculus. The good news is that it’s not advanced calculus; it’s advanced accounting. And we’re advanced accountants.

We’re up on the latest changes to UPMIFA, UBIT, and functional-expense reporting requirements, along with the federal programs that require a Single Audit. Your numbers are being watched by your board, your accreditor, and the government—but also by us.

We serve organizations like yours

Organizations Like Yours

We work with a wide range of educational nonprofits, including:
nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Independent and private K-12 schools

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Preschools and early-childhood centers

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Charter-adjacent education nonprofits

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Scholarship funds

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Education foundations

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

After-school and enrichment programs

Why Educational Nonprofits Choose Greenwood Ohlund

Our accounting and CFO services provide structured financial oversight, accurate reporting, and practical insight for organizations that require clarity and consistency. We deliver full accounting services and advisory support designed to strengthen financial management without unnecessary complexity.

Decades in nonprofit accounting

We’ve been doing this since 1971.

Tax, audit, accounting, and CFO expertise, one firm

Most firms our size don’t offer all four under one roof. You get a Form 990 team, an audit team, and a CFO-level advisory team who already talk to each other, instead of coordinating three separate vendors yourself.

Seattle-rooted, with clients across Washington and beyond

We’re based in Seattle and built around the Pacific Northwest, with clients in other states when the relationship calls for it.

A relationship that runs all year, not just at filing time

We’re recognized as a Peak Firm and a PSBJ Washington’s Best Workplaces honoree, and that same culture shows up in how we work with clients: regular conversations and actual availability, not a firm you hear from once a year.

EXPERIENCE THE GO DIFFERENCE

Your Educational Nonprofits Team

Amanda O Rourke

TAX SERVICES

Amanda O’Rourke, CPA

Managing Partner

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Matt Smith

AUDIT & ASSURANCE

Matt Smith, CPA

Partner

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Jason Mallon

CFO & ACCOUNTING SERVICES

Jason Mallon, CPA

Partner

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Claire Chow

TAX SERVICES

Claire Chow, CPA

Partner

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Andrew Van Ness

AUDIT & ASSURANCE

Andrew Van Ness, CPA

Partner

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Tax Services

Martha Hadaway, EA

Partner

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Brian

CFO & ACCOUTNING SERVICES

Brian Vinciguerra

Partner

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MEET THE TEAM
RECENT NEWS

Latest Updates and Insights from Greenwood Ohlund

Switching Banks? What Small and Medium-Sized Organizations Should Consider

August 4, 2026

Changing banks can create meaningful benefits for a small or medium-sized organization. A new banking relationship may offer better technology, improved customer service, lower fees, stronger fraud controls, greater borrowing capacity, or products that better support the organization’s growth. However, switching banks is rarely as simple as opening a new account and transferring the cash. Bank accounts are often connected

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IRS Form 990 transparency changes affecting nonprofit fiscal sponsorship reporting

The Form 990 Rarely Changes – So Why Is Everyone Talking About Fiscal Sponsorships?

July 29, 2026

Key Takeaway: While no new Form 990 reporting requirements have been proposed, recent statements from the U.S. Department of the Treasury suggest the IRS is taking a closer look at how nonprofits receive and manage funding. Now is a good time to review your gift acceptance procedures—particularly for fiscal sponsorships—to ensure your organization is well positioned if future reporting or

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IRS Automatic Penalty Relief (AEP) illustration explaining penalty relief eligibility and First Time Abate for taxpayers in 2026.

IRS Automatic Penalty Relief (AEP): What Taxpayers Need to Know for 2026

July 24, 2026

Automatic Penalty Relief is a new IRS initiative designed to reward taxpayers with a strong compliance history. Rather than requiring eligible taxpayers to request penalty relief after receiving a notice, the IRS intends to apply qualifying relief automatically for certain penalties. The program is expected to reduce reliance on the long-standing First Time Abate (FTA) process for many taxpayers. The

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Recent News

Latest Updates and Insights from Greenwood Ohlund

University Child Development School

Client Spotlight Q&A: University Child Development School

May 12, 2026

When did GO start working with UCDS, and how has this partnership evolved over the years?
 GO has proudly partnered with UCDS since 2022 to support the school’s financial stewardship and long-term sustainability. Over time, that partnership has evolved alongside the school’s growth and continued focus on innovative education, strong governance, and mission-driven planning. In what ways does the GO

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Ballard Food Bank

Client Spotlight Q&A: Ballard Food Bank

April 2, 2026

Ballard Food Bank When did GO start working with Ballard Food Bank, and how has this partnership evolved over the years? GO has proudly partnered with Ballard Food Bank since 2010, beginning with onsite monthly accounting support. In 2020, our relationship evolved to providing their annual audit and Form 990 preparation. In what ways does the GO Team support the

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FAQ

Educational Nonprofits Accounting FAQs

Yes. Most tax-exempt arts organizations file Form 990 annually with the IRS, and organizations that receive government or foundation grants often also need Schedule A to show they qualify as a public charity, not a private foundation. We handle the filing and the public support test as part of our Form 990 arts nonprofit work.

Only if you spend $1,000,000 or more in federal awards during your fiscal year. That threshold, set by the Uniform Guidance, is what triggers a Single Audit rather than a standard financial statement audit. We handle both, and can tell you which applies once we know your federal funding.

It depends on your organization’s policy. Museums can choose whether to capitalize their collections as assets on the balance sheet or treat them as non-capitalized, and that choice affects how acquisitions, deaccessions, and donated pieces get recorded. We help set that policy and apply it consistently as part of our museum nonprofit bookkeeping work.

It depends on the scope. Tax filings alone cost less than ongoing bookkeeping, audit support, and CFO-level advisory combined. Rather than quote a number that won’t fit every organization, we start with a conversation about your revenue mix and reporting needs, then build a proposal around what you need.

Yes, if you raise $50,000 or more from the public in a year, or pay anyone to run your operations. Washington’s Secretary of State Charities Program requires registration under those conditions, with limited exemptions for small, all-volunteer organizations. We can tell you quickly whether your organization meets the threshold.

CONTACT US

Let's Talk About Your School or Education Nonprofit

Tuition and financial-aid accounting, endowment tracking, or an audit your accreditor wants? Reach out and we’ll start with a conversation about what your school actually needs.

Greenwood Ohlund, PS
4241 21st Ave W, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98199
(206) 782-1767