Hillel of Colorado
Legal name: Hillel the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 521758791
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Denver, CO, USA
- Phone
- 3037772773
- Rating
- 56
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Affiliation
- Judaism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $924,703
- Expenses
- $939,633
- Assets
- $3,207,472
- Liabilities
- $-409
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
16 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Daniel W Bennett (Executive Director)
- Danny Foster (President)
Highest reported compensation
- Daniel W Bennett (Executive Director): $147,784 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Hillel of Colorado is a Jewish nonprofit that builds vibrant Jewish life on campus—helping students learn, socialize, celebrate, and cultivate Jewish values. Helping students along their Jewish journey through University is our passion. From Shabbat, Holiday celebrations, social events, to year-round programming, Hillel wants to provide as much opportunity for our students to connect as possible! If you like what we are doing, help support our programming! Donate to Campus Programming Sponsor a Shabbat Support Hillel of Colorado. Support Hillel of Colorado Your donation directly funds programming for 2,500 students across Colorado. Donate Today.
What it reported doing in 2024
Engagement Programming: Engagement programming is designed to ensure that student's are provided with diverse opportunities to express their Jewish identity. Hillel's goal is to meet the students where they are at, both physically and emotionally. We create multiple entry points for them to explore and celebrate their Judaism. In order to be successful, Hillel staff and student leaders emphasize one-on-one relationship building and creation of peer network engagement groups that focus on specific interest areas. Activities include: BBQ's, cooking series, community service, Israel advocacy, leadership development, rock climbing, ski trips, outdoor adventures, Jewish education, etc.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 82% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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.
The verdict
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 13
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 79
- Sustainability: 40
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 15.5%; rating input score 15
- Program expense ratio: 11.3%; rating input score 11
- Fundraising efficiency: $2.44 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -1.6%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.41; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
- Officer compensation ratio: 15.7%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 26.1% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 16.2% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 15.5% of revenue deployed · 11.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $107K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $148K · 16 people listed
- Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 15/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 11/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 7/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.