Colorado State University Research Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 840600653
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Phone
- 9704912933
- Rating
- 65
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Animal Husbandry
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $23,291,177
- Expenses
- $17,405,260
- Assets
- $159,935,912
- Liabilities
- $133,571,073
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
20 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- AJAY MENON (PRESIDENT/ CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
- RICHARD MAGID (VICE PRESIDENT - TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER)
Highest reported compensation
- AJAY MENON (PRESIDENT/ CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $610,735 total reported compensation
- LYNN JOHNSON (CFO & SECRETARY/TREASURER): $300,314 total reported compensation
- RICHARD MAGID (VICE PRESIDENT - TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER): $255,611 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Csu strata was organized in 1941 to aid the universities governed by the board of governors of the Colorado state university system (csus, including Colorado state university, Colorado state university pueblo, and csu global) in their research and educational efforts. Csu strata provides property and equipment leasing, patent and licensing management, debt financing through mortgage debt service, and land acquisition, development and property management.
What it reported doing in 2024
Csu strata provides management of various commercial and residential properties held by or for the benefit of Colorado state university.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - Most voting board members are independent and program spending has grown recently. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 59
- Transparency & Controls: 51
- Accountability: 86
- Sustainability: 70
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 59.9%; rating input score 60
- Program expense ratio: 77.2%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 25.3%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.19; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.84; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.4%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 59.9% of revenue deployed · 77.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $13.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $611K · 20 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $10.2M reported
- Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.