South Carolina Universities Research & Education Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 570880832
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Aiken, SC, USA
- Phone
- 8036424187
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,292,243
- Expenses
- $3,358,212
- Assets
- $307,815
- Liabilities
- $59,621
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- Craig Williamson (COO): $189,196 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 foundation is organized and operates as a support organization primarily to provide assistance to clemson university, university of South Carolina, and university of South Carolina aiken in their separate and joint efforts to provide research to various government agencies such as the department of energy, savannah river nuclear solutions, department of homeland security, etc. To this end, the foundation operates exclusively for the benefit of, or to carry out the purpose of, the member universities, including, but not limited to:(1) providing fiscal, custodial and accounting services in connection with university research, and generally assisting in the administration and coordination of educational activities and research performed by the member universities;(2) generally encouraging financial assistance and public support for university research and education;(3) interfacing with customer base on behalf of member universities to assist in acquiring funding for various research a
What it reported doing in 2024
Rickover fellowship program (nrlf) - the foundation entered into contract de-nr0000633 with the u.s. Department of energy naval reactors laboratory field office. These grant funds are to be used in the support of research and development, equipment upgrades, and student financial support. These funds may provide for: salaries, materials, supplies, equipment, travel, publication costs, supporting costs required for technical activities, market analyses, financing plans, and other activities necessary to achieve the program's objective.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 90% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 66
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 25
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 92.7%; rating input score 93
- Program expense ratio: 90.9%; rating input score 91
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: -2%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.09; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.6%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -8.2% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -9.2% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -12.8% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 92.7% of revenue deployed · 90.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $3.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $189K · 5 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 27/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.