Harvard University

Legal name: President and Fellows of Harvard College

Overview

Mission

Our people are what make Harvard special. Our community comprises many backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values. Explore Harvard through our directory Explore data about our community with the Harvard Fact Book. As staff members, then as students and faculty, the women of Harvard paved the way for the next generation, and continue to carve new paths today. Learn more about women’s history Learn more about women’s history.

What it reported doing in 2024

Sponsored research activities: the range of research activities at harvard is broad and deep. Harvard scholars conduct research in almost every field, and seek to expand human knowledge through analysis, innovation, and insight. As reported on part viii, research is supported by federal grants (line 1e), non-federal sponsored grants (line 1f) and non-federal sponsored contracts (line 2b). The university's principal source of federal sponsored funds is the department of health and human services. The university also has many non-federal sources of sponsored awards, grants, and contracts, including research institutes, foundations, state and local governments, foreign governments, and corporations. Sponsored grants and contracts normally provide for the recovery of direct and indirect costs.

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 82% 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
042103580
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2024
Headquarters
Cambridge, MA, USA
Phone
6174957792
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Graduate, Professional Schools (Separate Entities)

Official website

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: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 83
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 85.6%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • 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: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 84.6%; rating input score 85; 30th 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: 13%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.04; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.3%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 85.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $6.2B in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $2M · 38 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $392.1M reported
  • Consistency: 51 of 51 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 14 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 382 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 571 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.

Leadership & pay

38 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • ROBIN J ELY (FACULTY): $1,991,045 total reported compensation
  • NANCY F KOEHN (FACULTY): $1,989,830 total reported compensation
  • KATHLEEN L MCGINN (FACULTY): $1,936,549 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.