Colorado Christian University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 840442429
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Lakewood, CO, USA
- Phone
- 3039633000
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- University or Technological Institute
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $161,961,271
- Expenses
- $148,758,231
- Assets
- $222,125,012
- Liabilities
- $64,005,272
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
25 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Eric Hogue (President)
Highest reported compensation
- Eric Hogue (President): $407,762 total reported compensation
- Shannon Dreyfuss (VP Campus Development): $267,060 total reported compensation
- Allison Burkhart (VP CAGS Marketing, Enrollment): $255,615 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our students experience and engage the world in ways that prepare leaders to serve and transform their professions, churches, and communities. The CCU Difference Our Mission. Colorado Christian University's Mission > Christ-centered higher education transforming students to impact the world with grace and truth. Colorado Christian University cultivates knowledge and love of God in a Christ-centered community of learners and scholars, with an enduring commitment to the integration of exemplary academics, spiritual formation, and engagement with the world. We envision graduates who think critically and creatively, lead with high ethical and professional standards, embody the character and compassion of Jesus Christ, treasure the gospel, and who...
What it reported doing in 2024
Colorado christian university is a religious institution which is accredited by the higher learning commission of the north central association and offers both undergraduate and graduate programs designed to equip students to become leaders in their careers, communities, families, and in the world. More than 10.000 ccu students are enrolled at the lakewood campus, at regional centers throughout Colorado, and online via the internet.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 92% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- 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
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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 70
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 92
- Sustainability: 63
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 73.4%; rating input score 73
- Program expense ratio: 79.5%; rating input score 80
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: 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: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 8.2%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.49; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.2%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 73.4% of revenue deployed · 79.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 17 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $118.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $408K · 25 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $29.9M reported
- Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
- Schedules: 13 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.