Maharishi University of Enlightenment

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
562068614
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Fairfield, IA, USA
Phone
6414726655
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Professional Societies & Associations
Affiliation
Religious (unspecified)

Reported finances

Revenue
$486,559
Expenses
$449,615
Assets
$152,059
Liabilities
$7,479

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR MARGARET CUSTER (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARIETTE PAPIC (WEBMASTER/DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH): $14,560 total reported compensation
  • LAURIE HARVEY (REGISTRAR, PURCHASER): $4,490 total reported compensation
  • HELEN SCARFF (DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTING): $4,324 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To provide consciousness - based educational programs including post secondary educational programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Maharishi University of Enlightenment (MUE) faculty continue to create and launch new enrichment courses of special interest to women, which we offer on our online learning platform mueonline.org.One MA student and one PhD student still have their theses outstanding in order to complete all the requirements for their degrees.Maharishi University of Enlightenment faculty continued to work with the Department of Science of Creative Intelligence for Management at Rajapark Institute, Thailand, a department founded by PhD graduates of MUE, to offer their bachelors degree program.Maharishi University of Enlightenment continues to work with Maharishi International University (MIU) on joint collaborations. This year, these included two Forest Academies (two-week knowledge and experience retreats) for MIU students and a 45-minute knowledge class offered once a week by MUE for MIU students.The University continued to run its popular website, www.globalgoodnews.com, which in addition to its daily news section serves as a resource for the knowledge and programs available in the field of Maharishi Vedic Science and Technology of Consciousness. The University continued to work with Maharishi Global Administration through Natural Law (MGANL) to develop a future joint campus, to be located in New York State and Hawaii. The University is also working with Mahila Dhyan Vidya Peeth (MDVP)in India to offer MUEs courses on their new campus near New Tehri in Uttarakhand (Himalayas).Maharishi University of Enlightenment is also working in close collaboration with MIU to re-enliven the Maharishi College of Enlightenment on the MIU campus, offering the university curriculum that Maharishi designed. This accredited college could then open additional locations on the MGANL/MUE joint campuses in New York State and Hawaii.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 75% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and assets have declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 73
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.9%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 79.8%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.6%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.34; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.2%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 33.1% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: -27.2% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.9% of revenue deployed · 79.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $359K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $15K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 18/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.