Atlantic Coast Conference
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 560599082
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Charlotte, NC, USA
- Phone
- 7049360503
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Sports Associations &Training Facilities
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $826,480,916
- Expenses
- $789,217,685
- Assets
- $364,439,570
- Liabilities
- $431,419,269
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
26 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JAMES PHILLIPS (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- JAMES PHILLIPS (PRESIDENT): $4,682,729 total reported compensation
- PEARLYNN HOUCK (CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER & GENERAL COUNSEL): $658,671 total reported compensation
- BEN TARIO (TREASURER): $480,255 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The atlantic coast conference, through its member institutions, seeks to maximize the educational and athletic opportunities of its student-athletes while enriching their quality of life. It strives to do so by affording individuals equitable opportunity to pursue academic excellence and compete successfully at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics competition in a broad spectrum of sports and championships. The conference will provide leadership in attaining these goals, by promoting inclusion and mutual trust among its member institutions, in a spirit of fairness for all. It strongly adheres to the principles of integrity and sportsmanship, and supports the total development of the student-athlete and each member institution's athletics departmental staff, with the intent of producing enlightened leadership for tomorrow.
What it reported doing in 2024
The conference exists to promote and regulate inter-collegiate athletic programs for and among eighteen member institutions, all of which are non-profit educational institutions.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 99% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 83
- Transparency & Controls: 91
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 40
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 92%; rating input score 92
- Program expense ratio: 96.2%; rating input score 96
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 4.5%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.18; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 16.2% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 92% of revenue deployed · 96.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $759.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $4.7M · 26 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $14.2M reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 26 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 18 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 — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 4/100.