Samford University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
630312914
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2014
Location
Birmingham, AL, USA
Phone
2057264084
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$370,563,617
Expenses
$328,214,939
Assets
$1,043,452,487
Liabilities
$432,184,276

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

Leadership & pay

58 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Beck A Taylor (President)
  • Colin M Coyne (Vice President for Finance, Business Affairs and Strategy)
  • David Cimbora (Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (effective 7/1/2024))
  • Elizabeth B Holloway (Vice President for Advancement and Marketing)
  • Jason E Black (Vice President for Enrollment Management)
  • Joseph Jody H Hunt (General Counsel and Vice President for Government Affairs)

Highest reported compensation

  • Beck A Taylor (President): $750,671 total reported compensation
  • Henry Bucky W McMillan (Head Coach, Basketball (term 4/30/2025)): $675,067 total reported compensation
  • Ryan B Hudson (Dean, Cumberland School of Law): $366,436 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 mission of samford university is to nurture persons in their development of intellect, creativity, faith, and personhood. As a christian university, the community fosters academic, career, and ethical competency while encouraging social and civic responsibility, and service to others.

What it reported doing in 2024

Samford university, with its 14:1 student to faculty ratio in the 2024-2025 academic year, offered 41 degree programs in 126 majors to students in ten academic schools. Students were enrolled from 44 states (plus puerto rico) and 16 foreign countries. The tuition and fees derived from these students paid the salaries, wages and benefits of the university's faculty and staff.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 77% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 64% for direct work, and 36% 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: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83.1%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 88.4%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 95%; rating input score 95; 34th 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: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 53rd 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: 11.4%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.18; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.41; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 83.1% of revenue deployed · 88.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 40 of 40 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $290.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $751K · 58 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $56.1M reported
  • Consistency: 47 of 48 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • 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: 19 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 11 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 51/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.