Fresno Pacific University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
941021164
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Fresno, CA, USA
Phone
5594532000
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$79,455,452
Expenses
$85,251,039
Assets
$81,091,058
Liabilities
$40,910,117

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

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANDRE STEPHENS (UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANDRE STEPHENS (UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT): $296,995 total reported compensation
  • ELIZABETH GARVIN (VP FOR ADVANCEMENT): $184,805 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT LIPPERT VP FINANCE (& BUSINESS AFFAIRS (PART YEAR)): $181,711 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The university is the central valley's only accredited christian university, offering leading academic programs and ethical and spiritual development through traditional bachelor's degree, adult degree completion, master's, certificate, and credentialing programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Fresno pacific university (fpu) is a private, nonprofit institution of higher education that offers more than 100 areas of study through degree, credential, and certificate programs. Academic offerings include 40 undergraduate and 37 graduate programs delivered through the school of natural sciences and the graduate and professional schools. The university serves approximately 3,500 students through campuses located in southeast fresno, north fresno, visalia, and bakersfield, as well as through fully online programs. Fpu offers academic programs in multiple disciplines, including business, leadership, education, psychology, pre-health sciences, nursing, and social work. (continued on schedule o)students served by the university are primarily from central California and reflect the region's cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity. Many students are first-generation college students. Approximately 98 percent of traditional undergraduate students receive some form of financial assistance. Fpu provides an education emphasizing academic rigor, ethical development, and christian values. The university is affiliated with the mennonite brethren church and is accredited by the western association of schools and colleges (wasc). Fpu offers undergraduate and graduate education, including master's-level degrees, and operates as the only comprehensive christian university granting master's degrees in the central valley.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 88% 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 72% for direct work, and 28% 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: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.3%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 74.4%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st 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: Pass
    • 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: 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: -7.3%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.95; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.5; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.5%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.3% of revenue deployed · 74.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $63.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $297K · 31 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $7.8M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 11 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: 7 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.