Bentley University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 041081650
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2008
- Location
- Waltham, MA, USA
- Phone
- 7818912000
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Graduate, Professional Schools (Separate Entities)
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $414,000,417
- Expenses
- $397,668,134
- Assets
- $906,626,547
- Liabilities
- $264,599,547
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
38 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- E LABRENT CHRITE (PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE)
Highest reported compensation
- E LABRENT CHRITE (PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE): $1,148,725 total reported compensation
- PAUL TESLUK (PROVOST & VP, ACADEMIC AFFAIRS): $542,718 total reported compensation
- MAUREEN FORRESTER (VP, CFO/TREASURER): $517,281 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
See schedule o
What it reported doing in 2024
Tuition, fees, and auxiliarybentley has been educating business-minded students since harry c. Bentley first convened 30 accounting students on huntington avenue in boston in 1917. We have continuously adapted to become one of the top business universities in the u.s., combining business with arts and science to prepare successful leaders who make business a force for positive change. Faculty across all departments are committed to establishing effective teaching and learning relationships with students both inside and outside the classroom, while simultaneously pursuing scholarly research that contributes to their knowledge and that supports the university's teaching mission. See schedule o for continuation.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 94% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 63% for direct work, and 37% for 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 77
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 97
- Sustainability: 57
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 86%; rating input score 86
- Program expense ratio: 86.5%; rating input score 87
- Fundraising efficiency: $1.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
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: 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: Pass
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- 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: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 47th 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: 3.9%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.28; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 86% of revenue deployed · 86.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 18 of 19 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $344.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $1.1M · 38 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $22.5M reported
- Consistency: 49 of 49 current checks pass
- 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: 27 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 7 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 52/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 52/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.