Fuller Theological Seminary

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
951699394
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Pasadena, CA, USA
Phone
626.584.5200
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Graduate, Professional Schools (Separate Entities)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$57,532,678
Expenses
$68,394,038
Assets
$302,885,965
Liabilities
$45,476,098

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

Leadership & pay

41 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID E GOATLEY (PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAVID E GOATLEY (PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE): $416,996 total reported compensation
  • RAYMOND M ASAD (CFO AND SECRETARY OF THE BOARD): $257,406 total reported compensation
  • LANCE GRIFFIN (GENERAL COUNSEL): $249,860 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Fuller Theological Seminary, embracing the School of Mission and Theology and School of Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy, is an evangelical, multidenominational, international, and multiethnic community dedicated to the equipping of men and women for the manifold ministries of Christ and his church. Under the authority of Scripture we seek to fulfill our commitment to ministry through graduate education, professional development, and spiritual formation.

What it reported doing in 2024

Fuller seminary is a multidenominational graduate institution that has equipped visionary ministers, scholars, teachers, mental health professionals, and intercultural leaders to share christ's hope and healing in the church and the world since 1947. With graduate degrees, certificate programs, and professional and personal development courses delivered through two schools and a global online community of students and learners, fuller comprehensively prepares jesus-led women and men to become compassionate, resilient leaders.the school of mission and theology offers students indispensable education for effective leadership in vocations in ministry, missions, the marketplace, and beyond. The school of psychology & marriage and family therapy - a pioneer in the integration of psychology and christian theology - trains students in an environment of clinical excellence, research innovation, and academic distinction. Fuller's diverse student body includes more than 2,500 students from 76 countries, 51 us states and territories, and 104 denominations.

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 82% 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 - 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: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.9%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 76.6%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: 96.6%; rating input score 97; 51st 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: -18.9%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.43; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.4%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 91.9% of revenue deployed · 76.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 28 of 29 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $52.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $417K · 41 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.3M reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 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: 107 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 95 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.