SUNY Research Foundation

Legal name: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York

Overview

Mission

The Research Foundation for SUNY provides talent, services, and technology that empower SUNY to research, innovate, and transfer discoveries that transform the world’s knowledge economy, including support for sponsored research administration and compliance. Thousands of brilliant minds at SUNY campuses across the state perform life-changing research in every field imaginable. The RF contributes directly to SUNY’s mission by providing resources and services that help faculty find, apply for and manage funding for their research, training and public service projects. View the Sponsored Programs Lifecycle. As SUNY’s authorized representative for externally funded grants, contracts and other agreements, the RF prepares and submits grant proposals; negotiates agreements with government, industry, nonprofit and foreign sponsors; and accepts awards on behalf of the principal investigator...

What it reported doing in 2024

Training and education- program service accomplishments - see schedule o

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
141368361
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Headquarters
Albany, NY, USA
Phone
5184347050
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 61
  • Accountability: 93
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 75.4%; rating input score 75
  • Program expense ratio: 82.9%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $69,712.93 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.2%; rating input score 88; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.3%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.18; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.38; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.3%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 75.4% of revenue deployed · 82.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.4B in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $657K · 29 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $20.2M reported
  • Consistency: 43 of 43 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 13 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 13 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • MR DAVID MARCUS (CIO, STONY BROOK FOUNDATION): $656,781 total reported compensation
  • MS EILEEN M PEZZI (VP FOR DEVELOPMENT, UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY): $501,350 total reported compensation
  • MS PATRICIA ARCIERO-CRAIG (CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER): $479,694 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.