Lincoln University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231352655
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Lincoln University, PA, US
Phone
484-365-8000
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$92,360,556
Expenses
$91,439,035
Assets
$349,246,889
Liabilities
$44,949,969

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

Leadership & pay

50 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR BRENDA A ALLEN (PRESIDENT)
  • EDISON CAMILO FREIRE (VICE PRESIDENT, SCHOOL OF ADULT & CONTINUINA STUDI)
  • DORCAS COLVIN (VICE PRESIDENT, STUDENT SUCCESS)
  • FRED-RICK ROUNDTREE (ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR BRENDA A ALLEN (PRESIDENT): $567,660 total reported compensation
  • WILBOURNE RUSERE (VP OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION): $252,401 total reported compensation
  • DR PATRICIA JOSEPH (PROVOST & DEAN OF FACULTY): $231,578 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Lincoln University, the nation's first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU), provides a rigorous liberal arts education that empowers students to lead, serve, and make a difference in a global society.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education, general/other: academic support, student services and scholarships. These programs provide general support to students for housing, financial aid, counseling, health insurance and student government, instruction and library, auxiliary enterprises, cost of student housing and meals, research and sponsored programs primarily consisting of grants funded by federal, state, and local governments to support the university's instructional mission.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 63% 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 78% for direct work, and 22% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 54
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.2%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 85%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $30.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • 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: Limited
  • 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: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 45th 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: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.82; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 85.2% of revenue deployed · 85% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 32 of 34 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $77.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $568K · 50 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $15.7M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 17 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.