Calvin University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
383071514
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Grand Rapids, MI, US
Phone
616-526-6000
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$193,018,897
Expenses
$212,806,288
Assets
$612,535,612
Liabilities
$111,610,216

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

Leadership & pay

46 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR WIEBE BOER (PRESIDENT-PART YEAR)
  • DIRK PRUIS (VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION)
  • DR SARAH VISSER (VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT LIFE)
  • LAUREN JENSEN (VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT)
  • KEN ERFFMEYER (VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • GREG ELZINGA (PRESDIENT): $429,163 total reported compensation
  • DR WIEBE BOER (PRESIDENT-PART YEAR): $327,619 total reported compensation
  • DR AMBER WARNER (PROFESSOR - KINESIOLOGY): $265,601 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Think deeply about God's world and how we might be agents of renewal in it.

What it reported doing in 2024

Calvin university is a comprehensive liberal arts university in the reformed tradition of historic christianity seeking to be agents of renewal in the academy, church, and society. The university offers 81 baccalaureate and 9 master's degree programs. It maintains a broad core curriculum including courses in mathematics, biblical or theological foundations, the arts and sciences, literature, and more. Students participate in off-campus programs around the world during short term and semester programs. The university also provides a christian liberal arts education to inmates at the richard a. Handlon correctional facility in ionia, mi. This five-year program results in a bachelor of arts degree in faith and community leadership. Calvin university is consistently ranked among the best colleges of the regional universities midwest by the u.s. News & world report. The current student to faculty ratio is 14:1. 98.4% of the 2025 calvin university graduates are either employed or in graduate school.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 80% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 62% for direct work, and 38% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 91
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 95.6%; rating input score 96
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 95%; rating input score 95; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.8%; rating input score 97; 52nd 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: -10.3%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.88; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.2%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 18th 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: 100% of revenue deployed · 95.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 30 of 31 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $203.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $429K · 46 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $21.5M reported
  • Consistency: 45 of 46 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 12 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 170 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 160 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 31/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.