Brandeis University
Overview
Mission
As a research university, brandeis university is dedicated to the advancement of the humanities, arts and social, natural and physical sciences. As a liberal arts college, brandeis affirms the importance of a broad and critical education in enriching the lives of students.
What it reported doing in 2024
Instructional and academic support: brandeis university is a rare combination of a liberal arts college and a global research university. Our student body numbers 4,900, including undergraduates and graduate students. We have a graduate school of arts and sciences and two professional schools, the heller school for social policy and management and the international business school. The rabb school of continuing studies offers graduate professional programs for part-time students. Many academic programs are enriched by myriad interactions with the numerous other leading universities in the area. We work to connect theory and practice through field work and experiential learning.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 75% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 72% for direct work, and 28% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 042103552
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Headquarters
- Waltham, MA, USA
- Phone
- 7817362000
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- University or Technological Institute
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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 87
- Transparency & Controls: 80
- Accountability: 98
- Sustainability: 41
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 97.2%; rating input score 97
- Program expense ratio: 87%; rating input score 87
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 95%; rating input score 95; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Fail
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 95.6%; rating input score 96; 47th 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: -10.5%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.59; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 97.2% of revenue deployed · 87% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 43 of 45 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $477.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $1.4M · 66 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $29M reported
- Consistency: 47 of 48 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 14 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 68 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 47 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.
Leadership & pay
66 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- RONALD LIEBOWITZ (PRESIDENT (THRU 11/1/24)): $1,371,189 total reported compensation
- TAREK SAGHIR (CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER): $773,161 total reported compensation
- CAROL FIERKE (PROVOST, EVP ACADEMIC AFFAIRS): $716,721 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.