Cornerstone University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 381443369
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI, US
- Phone
- 616.949.5300
- Rating
- 71
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- University or Technological Institute
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $47,226,279
- Expenses
- $48,219,533
- Assets
- $106,631,231
- Liabilities
- $8,928,933
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
25 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Dr Gerson Moreno-Riano (President)
Highest reported compensation
- Dr Gerson Moreno-Riano (President): $381,329 total reported compensation
- Heidi Cece (VP Chief of Staff): $250,796 total reported compensation
- David Veneklase Start 1023 (VP Finance / CFO): $250,582 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Cornerstone University exists to empower men and women to excel as influencers in our world for Christ by offering a student-focused learning community where Jesus Christ is central.
What it reported doing in 2024
Auxiliaries include room and board, apartment rentals, hospitality and events, and radio ministries. Cornerstone Radio Ministries includes the operations of five noncommercial radio stations WCSG, Grand Rapids with signals also in Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor and Battle Creek. 3,536,960 is included in contribution revenue on Part VIII, Line 1f.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 84% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 73% for direct work, and 27% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 70
- Transparency & Controls: 69
- Accountability: 96
- Sustainability: 46
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77.3%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 76%; rating input score 76
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.23 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: Pass
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 27th 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: -2.1%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.21; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.9%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 77.3% of revenue deployed · 76% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 16 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $36.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $381K · 25 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $5.7M reported
- Consistency: 41 of 42 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 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 23/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.