Ohio Wesleyan University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 314379585
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Delaware, OH, USA
- Phone
- 7403682000
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Undergraduate College (4-year)
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $174,041,527
- Expenses
- $143,426,116
- Assets
- $550,772,796
- Liabilities
- $79,440,266
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
49 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MATTHEW VANDENBERG (PRESIDENT & EX OFFICIO TRUSTEE)
- EMILIE CLARK (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-NYARTS)
- ROCKWELL JONES (FORMER PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- ROCKWELL JONES (FORMER PRESIDENT): $573,512 total reported compensation
- MATTHEW VANDENBERG (PRESIDENT & EX OFFICIO TRUSTEE): $446,372 total reported compensation
- JEREMY BASKES (PROFESSOR-HISTORY): $258,809 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Ohio Wesleyan University is a small liberal arts community devoted to the free pursuit of truth, seeking to prepare students for service and leadership. Campus Map Fast Facts Mission & Aims History & Traditions Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Office of the President i³ Lectures Offices & Services Directory Ross Art Museum Live Campus Views Statement of Aims Ohio Wesleyan's charter provides that “the University is forever to be conducted on the most liberal principles, accessible to all religious denominations, and designed for the benefit of our citizens in general.”. Ohio Wesleyan's charter provides that “the University is forever to be conducted on the most liberal principles, accessible to all religious denominations, and designed for the benefit of our citizens in general.” In the spirit of this heritage, the University defines itself as a community of teachers and students...
What it reported doing in 2024
One of the nation's premier small liberal arts colleges, Ohio wesleyan university boasts a rigorous curriculum, exceptionally strong mentoring relationships between students and faculty, and a host of experiential learning opportunities that link the liberal arts to practical realities and prepare students for service and leadership in their careers and communities.
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 53% for direct work, and 47% 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: 80
- Transparency & Controls: 76
- Accountability: 92
- Sustainability: 79
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 79.6%; rating input score 80
- Program expense ratio: 89.6%; rating input score 90
- Fundraising efficiency: $15.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- 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: 94.6%; rating input score 95; 46th 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 17.6%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.84; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 79.6% of revenue deployed · 89.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 35 of 37 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $128.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $574K · 49 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $13.8M reported
- Consistency: 42 of 42 current checks pass
- Schedules: 13 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: 15 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 6 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 51/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 52/100.