Research Foundation of the City University of New York

Overview

Mission

Provide post-award fiscal and administrative support for CUNY’s research and sponsored programs, including services that help CUNY faculty and students identify and obtain external funding (pre-award). Award Pre-Proposal Support (APPS) APPS advances CUNY’s sponsored program enterprise by helping CUNY faculty and students identify and obtain extramural funding to support their research, education, training, curriculum development, and other related activities. APPS supports and advances CUNY’s mission by working closely with the faculty and campus administration to encourage and provide faculty and students with resources to write successful proposals, assist grant administrators in developing a standardized set of metrics to monitor proposal success rates across CUNY, and provide leadership expertise in the creation of a University-wide sponsored program development strategy. Finance.

What it reported doing in 2024

Organized research - includes all externally funded research activities, both basic and applied, and all development activities. A systematic, intensive study intended to increase knowledge or understanding of the subject studied, specifically directed toward applying a new knowledge to meet a recognized need, or a systematic application of knowledge to the production of useful materials, devises, and systems or methods, including design, development, and improvement of prototypes and new processes to meet specific requirements. It also includes activities related to training of individuals in research techniques (commonly called research training) where such activities utilize the same facilities as other research development activities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 64% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 87% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
131988190
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2124178580
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$667,697,898
Expenses
$665,088,993
Assets
$650,099,139
Liabilities
$476,455,479

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 94
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.2%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 93.5%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $77,705.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Pass
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.4%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.98; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.73; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.5%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 93.2% of revenue deployed · 93.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $621.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $387K · 30 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $7.7M reported
  • Consistency: 48 of 49 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 275 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 263 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.

Leadership & pay

30 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • HECTOR R CORDERO-GUZMAN (PRESIDENT): $386,919 total reported compensation
  • DOLISKI A MOZELESKI (ASSOCIATE GRANTS DIRECTOR - CITY COLLEGE): $376,524 total reported compensation
  • SARAH G KULKARNI (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR): $334,671 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024.