Fordham University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 131740451
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Aug 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2011
- Location
- Bronx, NY, USA
- Phone
- 7188171000
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- University or Technological Institute
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,225,879,469
- Expenses
- $1,167,075,092
- Assets
- $2,586,282,259
- Liabilities
- $799,239,524
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
57 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- TANIA TETLOW (PRESIDENT & TRUSTEE)
Highest reported compensation
- TANIA TETLOW (PRESIDENT & TRUSTEE): $1,846,798 total reported compensation
- KEITH A URGO (HEAD MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH (THRU 03/25)): $973,868 total reported compensation
- DENNIS C JACOBS (PROVOST & SVP OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS): $798,787 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Since 1841, Fordham University has stood for what matters most: making lives better through education and service; committed to educating students in the Jesuit tradition to care for the whole person and address the world’s most pressing challenges. The Louis Calder Center is the Biological Field Station of Fordham University. It is a protected, forested preserve that is located only 25 miles north of New York City. It supports research by members of the Biological Sciences Department at Fordham University, as well as from other institutions in the region and the nation. London students outside building Fordham London. support, helping students align their varying goals with advice and a clear road map for a college career and beyond. Haven: A cohort-based program across the student experience that provides continuous.
What it reported doing in 2024
Higher education fordham university is an independent, not-for-profit, coeducational, institution of higher learning, in the jesuit tradition, with its principal campuses located in New York city. Fordham university serves and educates approximately 10,200 undergraduate students and 5,200 graduate and professional students. For more information, see schedule o.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 83% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 64% for direct work, and 36% 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: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 91
- Accountability: 97
- Sustainability: 61
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 86.1%; rating input score 86
- Program expense ratio: 91.4%; rating input score 91
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.65 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Pass
- Conducts field audits: Pass
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Pass
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 94.7%; 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: 4.8%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.22; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.31; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 86.1% of revenue deployed · 91.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 36 of 38 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.1B in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $1.8M · 57 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $78.1M reported
- Consistency: 51 of 51 current checks pass
- Schedules: 13 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 65 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 45 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.