Rome Institute of Liberal Arts Inc

What it reported doing in 2025

Our courses are academically rigorous and involve difficult texts in philosophy and literature, from Plato to Hegel and from Dante to Wallace Stevens. We combine such study with excursions to explore art, architecture and history in Italy that our students' readings help open up for them. 1. Summer Program: we held our six week summer program in Rome, Italy. Professors came from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland and Santa Fe, New Mexico as well as from the University of Texas at Austin Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts. We had 30 very excited and capable students in our summer program. These students took part in classes focused either in a course on readings in Roman history/political theory, or in art history/aesthetics, alongside regular excursions for the whole group, together with their professors, to see art and architecture in museums, churches, ancient monuments, renaissance palaces, and so on. As happens every year, a couple of our students discovered new career paths in art history or classics. As in all our classes, the rigorous engagement with major texts from the past alongside excursions to explore art and architecture made these courses a serious learning experience. And, of course, all of the students were broadened by the experience of being in Italy, and made better able to understand themselves and their own country by the experience of seeing another culture and another way of living. The friendships created in our programs continue today and will hopefully last a lifetime, and we hope to keep in contact with many of our students. 2. Venice January Program: We took 28 students from St. Mary's College of California to Venice for four weeks to study the history and art of Venice alongside readings in literature, history, and urban studies. As well, we went on daily trips around the city to museums, churches, and monuments to study the history and art first hand. Students developed a deep understanding of the importance of Venice in early modern history (and the influence of its political system on the American and French revolutions), as well as the role Venice played in the development of modern music and art. As well, students reflected on the place of historical cities like Venice in terms of contemporary issues like gentrification, tourism, and Venice's contemporary environmental challenge. 3. Providence College Maymester: a class from Providence College, Rhode Island, along with faculty, came to study art, architecture, and history for two weeks in Rome, through excursions supported by faculty led discussions and lectures of works of history, political theory, and philosophy. 4. We began planning in 2025 for two 2026 new programs, described separately in previous entry.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
• 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: 60%; rating input score 60; 20th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • 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: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -12.5%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.16; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 52.1%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 16.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 19.6% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings