Lewis University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
362167773
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Romeoville, IL, USA
Phone
815-838-0500
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Higher Education Institutions
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$237,183,050
Expenses
$227,557,773
Assets
$335,421,408
Liabilities
$96,244,764

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

Leadership & pay

36 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR DAVID LIVINGSTON (PRESIDENT)
  • TERESA KREJCI (Former Vice President/CFO/COO - Left 11/24)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR DAVID LIVINGSTON (PRESIDENT): $604,914 total reported compensation
  • DR CHRISTOPHER SINDT (PROVOST): $343,887 total reported compensation
  • RAYMOND KENNELLY (CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER): $308,050 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Lewis University, guided by its Catholic and Lasallian heritage, provides a transformative education that fosters intellectual curiosity, ethical leadership, and a commitment to social justice.

What it reported doing in 2024

The university provides post secondary education and training to students. Program service costs include instructors, salaries, residence hall and related operational expenditures. Approximately 7,800 students attended during this period.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 89% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 55
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.3%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 84.4%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th 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: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.2%; rating input score 96; 50th 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: 4.1%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.47; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.3%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 9 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 5 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 82.3% of revenue deployed · 84.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 26 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $192.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $605K · 36 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $12.1M reported
  • Consistency: 49 of 49 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 12 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 52/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.