Bellevue University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
470491571
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Bellevue, Nebraska, US
Phone
402-293-2000
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$163,720,623
Expenses
$155,802,255
Assets
$313,210,190
Liabilities
$67,343,701

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

40 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARY HAWKINS (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARY HAWKINS (PRESIDENT): $592,286 total reported compensation
  • MATTHEW DAVIS (EVP, ADMIN SERVICES & DEAN OF COLLEGE OF MANAGMENT & TECHNOLOGY): $365,193 total reported compensation
  • SHERRYE HUTCHERSON (EVP, HUMAN RESOURCES & GUILD): $353,742 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Learn enterprise-wide financial management skills to allocate resources in a manner that maximizes economic, social, and organizational value.

What it reported doing in 2024

Bellevue university is a non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Nebraska. The university provided higher education services to approximately 18,163 students during this review period. Bellevue university effectively engages students in earning awards and degrees that prepare them to thrive in a connected, competitive world. We provide students with a powerful foundation for personal value creation, instilling the confidence they need to take control of their lives and to be responsible citizens of the global community. We teach the value of a free market, capitalist economic system and the importance of preserving our american heritage of a democratic and free way of life. The confidence they need to heritage of a democratic and free way of life. American heritage of a democratic and free way of life. The confidence they need to take control of their lives and to be responsible citizens of the global community. We teach the value of a free market, capitalist economic system and the importance of preserving our american heritage of a democratic and free way of life.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 91% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% 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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 89
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.1%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 69.3%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: 96.2%; rating input score 96; 50th 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: 4.8%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.01; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.6%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 67.1% of revenue deployed · 69.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 26 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $108M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $592K · 40 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $59.1M reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 11 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: 15 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 59/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 45/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.