Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042103576
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Roxbury, MA, USA
Phone
6174234630
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Higher Education Institutions

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$26,514,755
Expenses
$23,902,540
Assets
$49,978,288
Liabilities
$35,304,367

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

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Aisha Francis PhD (President & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Aisha Francis PhD (President & CEO): $350,796 total reported compensation
  • Michael Goldstein (CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER): $177,790 total reported compensation
  • Marvin Loiseau (Dean of Academics/Stdnt Affair): $172,341 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Benjamin franklin cummings institute of technology is an affordable, urban college serving the boston region and committed to student success and career readiness in technology fields. Through personalized support, hands-on learning, and industry-informed curricula, benjamin franklin cummings institute of technology prepares graduates for work, life-long learning, and citizenship.

What it reported doing in 2024

Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (Franklin Cummings Tech) offers programs that align with job opportunities in high-growth fields like clean energy, robotics, automation, construction management, and biotech. Franklin Cummings Tech achieved an operating surplus in the past four consecutive fiscal years. Total operating dollars raised were up 34% over last fiscal year. For fiscal year 2025 net tuition revenue represented 33% of total operating revenue and contributions and grants represented 62% of revenue with the remaining 4% coming from other income. Franklin Cummings Tech currently has approximately 147 full and part-time faculty and staff. Franklin Cummings Tech believes in making personalized, flexible education affordable and accessible for everyone, creating a more equitable and resilient Greater Boston through access to family-sustaining income. During the year the college served a total of 1,125 students, a 12% increase over last year with 55% traditional students, 29% in the newly created division of workforce development and continuing studies, and 16% in early college programs. During Fiscal year 2023 Franklin Cummings Tech received all its approvals for the development of a new campus in the Nubian Square neighborhood of Boston. In March of 2024 the college closed on its bridge financing and construction began on the new campus. It also closed on a New Market Tax Credit program which will net $9.3 million towards the project costs. As of June 30, 2025, the College incurred a total of $42,824,126 in development and construction costs. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 70% for direct work, and 30% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 97
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.4%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 74.6%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.46 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 76.9%; rating input score 77; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95.5%; rating input score 95; 29th 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: 9.9%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.09; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.71; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.2%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17.5% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.4% of revenue deployed · 74.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 22 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $17.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $351K · 28 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.3M reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 42 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.

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 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.