LSU Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 726020969
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Baton Rouge, LA, US
- Phone
- 225-578-3811
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Single Organization Support
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $121,135,454
- Expenses
- $70,419,739
- Assets
- $1,007,615,738
- Liabilities
- $154,902,355
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
46 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROBERT M STUART JR (PRESIDENT & CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- ROBERT M STUART JR (PRESIDENT & CEO): $846,146 total reported compensation
- KRISTA ALLEN RANEY (EVP OF DEVELOPMENT): $576,052 total reported compensation
- KATE SPIKES (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $521,838 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 LSU Foundation inspires and shepherds philanthropic giving to LSU and builds long-lasting relationships with donors who bring life to current and emerging university priorities.
What it reported doing in 2024
Other program services include: (1) salary support for academic purposes, (2) institution-wide academic programs, such as lecture series and hosting visiting scholars, (3) service awards for outstanding faculty and professional staff, (4) travel to national and international business seminars and conferences by university faculty and staff of academic units, (5) institutional advancement, (6) capital outlay including the acquisition of equipment and construction of facilities for use in the academic research endeavors of the university.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 78% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 71% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- 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: 65
- Transparency & Controls: 80
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 82
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 62.4%; rating input score 62
- Program expense ratio: 79.4%; rating input score 79
- Fundraising efficiency: $10.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd 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: 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: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 41.9%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 14.31; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.2%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 62.4% of revenue deployed · 79.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 32 of 32 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $55.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $846K · 46 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $13M reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 11 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: 11 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 5 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 42/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.