Belmont University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 620465076
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Aug 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2007
- Location
- Nashville, Tennessee, United States
- Phone
- 615.460.6000
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- University or Technological Institute
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $579,470,406
- Expenses
- $493,476,216
- Assets
- $1,849,461,397
- Liabilities
- $392,892,326
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
57 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- L Greg Jones (President)
- Joshua Yates (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- Casey Alexander (Head Men's Basketball Coach): $1,586,545 total reported compensation
- L Greg Jones (President): $1,135,264 total reported compensation
- David Rosselli (EVP For University Advancement): $669,524 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Belmont University is a Christian university in Nashville, TN, dedicated to helping students discover their purpose and create their path to change the world.
What it reported doing in 2024
Educational programs, instruction and student services are provided to more than 8,800 students, offering more than 190 undergraduate and graduate academic programs through its twelve colleges and schools, including the mike curb college of entertainment and music business, college of pharmacy, the massey college of business administration, and the college of law. Belmont offers intercollegiate athletics in fifteen different sports, competing in the Missouri valley conference (men's tennis is an affiliate member of the horizon league). Belmont student-athletes have compiled impressive records, both on and off the playing court and field. Belmont is the only institution in america whose men's and women's basketball programs have won 20 or more games in 10 consecutive seasons. Belmont has won its conference academic achievement award 21 of the last 23 years. Student activities round out the collegiate experience, with a focus on campus life and community, student health and welfare, and student advocacy and support. There are currently more than 200 clubs and organizations available to students.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 84% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 60% for direct work, and 40% 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: 69
- Transparency & Controls: 74
- Accountability: 86
- Sustainability: 75
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71.6%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 74.7%; rating input score 75
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.27 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 33rd 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Pass
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 55th 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: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 14.8%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.75; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.6%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 71.6% of revenue deployed · 74.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 28 of 28 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $368.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $1.6M · 57 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $108.2M reported
- Consistency: 42 of 43 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 13 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: 29 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.