Anderson University
Legal name: Anderson University Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 350867954
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Anderson, IN, US
- Phone
- 800.428.6414
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Undergraduate College (4-year)
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $61,014,638
- Expenses
- $68,167,577
- Assets
- $122,521,597
- Liabilities
- $48,924,097
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
30 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- John Pistole (President)
Highest reported compensation
- John Pistole (President): $261,786 total reported compensation
- Lara Mann (VP for Enrollment and Marketing): $165,374 total reported compensation
- Suahil Housholder (VP for Finance and Treasurer): $135,396 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Anderson University is to educate for a life of faith and service in the church and society.
What it reported doing in 2024
Higher education: Auxiliary enterprise primarily involving residence halls, food services, Student Health Services, Mail Center, and bookstore activities supporting the educational program. We believe that on-campus living is an integral part of the college experience. In our residence halls, we are committed to offering not only a safe and comfortable place to live, but also an environment that promises to both challenge and support our students as they grow physically, academically, socially, and spiritually. Anderson University Food Services provides friendly service and great variety in four different locations across campus: The Marketplace, Raven's Haven, Create, and Mocha Joe's. Student Health Services provides medical assistance to students and is operated by Community Health Network.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 89% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 61% for direct work, and 39% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - 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: 67
- Accountability: 98
- Sustainability: 34
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 86.5%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.2 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 95.8%; rating input score 96; 49th 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: -11.7%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.8; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.4%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.4% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -1% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 86.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 23 of 24 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $58.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $262K · 30 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $8.9M reported
- Consistency: 43 of 44 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 12 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 22/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.