Notre Dame De Namur University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
941156646
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Belmont, CA, USA
Phone
6505083500
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$21,489,245
Expenses
$20,466,943
Assets
$58,371,737
Liabilities
$35,693,029

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

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LIZBETH MARTIN (PRESIDENT)
  • BOBBY VAUGHN (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • LIZBETH MARTIN (PRESIDENT): $332,073 total reported compensation
  • GREGORY WHITE (PROVOST & SENIOR VP): $264,139 total reported compensation
  • KURT ALLEN (VP - MARKETING & COMMUNICATION): $242,124 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Founded upon the values of the sisters of notre dame de namur and rooted in the catholic tradition, notre dame de namur university serves its students and the community by providing excellent professional and liberal arts programs (continued on sch. O)in which community engagement and the values of social justice and global peace are integral to the learning experience. Ndnu is a diverse and inclusive learning community that challenges each member to consciously apply values and ethics in his or her personal, professional, and public life.

What it reported doing in 2024

Notre dame de namur university (ndnu) is a catholic, not-for-profit, coeducational institutional serving over 422 students from diverse backgrounds. Established in 1851 by the sisters of notre dame de namur, ndnu is the third oldest college in California and maintains a strong commitment to academic excellence, social justice and community engagement. The university is fully accredited and offers graduate programs in business, education and psychology as well as teaching credential programs. The historic 5o-acre campus is located on the san francisco peninsula in silicon valley.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 92% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.9%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 70.3%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 25th 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: 4.8%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.85; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.61; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.4%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -11.3% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6.5% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.4% per year; rating input score 100; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.9% of revenue deployed · 70.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $14.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $332K · 28 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.2M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 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: 13 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 22/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 22/100.