Hope College
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 381381271
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Holland, MI, United States
- Phone
- 6163957810
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Undergraduate College (4-year)
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $202,053,889
- Expenses
- $212,019,055
- Assets
- $580,303,236
- Liabilities
- $48,142,434
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
37 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MATTHEW SCOGIN (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- MATTHEW SCOGIN (PRESIDENT): $422,568 total reported compensation
- GERALD D GRIFFIN (PROVOST): $314,891 total reported compensation
- THOMAS BYLSMA (VP FOR FINANCE/CFO): $277,861 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 mission of Hope College is to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith. Our vision is to bring more hope to the world through education marked by curiosity, generosity and community. Our mission commits us to train ambassadors of hope and send them out to lead and serve the world. Equipping students to be hope-bringers requires more than just passion, personal growth and career preparation; it demands a world-class learning environment that shapes the mind, body and spirit. Our hope is not in ourselves, but in God’s faithfulness, demonstrated in Jesus Christ. Even in the midst of difficulty, God is at work in us and the world. Our intellectual pursuit is inspired by Jesus, who is the embodiment of truth....
What it reported doing in 2024
The organization provided comprehensive literacy & science courses of study to approximately 3,236 full time equivalent students in the fall of 2024 and 3,029 in the spring of 2025. The organization was also involved in administrative, auxiliary operations & student services to support the campus.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 83% 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 65% for direct work, and 35% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 85
- Transparency & Controls: 75
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 45
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 93.5%; rating input score 94
- Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $6.14 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th 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: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Fail
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 34th 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: -4.9%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.74; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 19th 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: 93.5% of revenue deployed · 88% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 21 of 24 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $186.6M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $423K · 37 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $15.8M reported
- Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 16 filed money-flow records
- 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.