The Aquinas Institute for Catholic Life at Princeton University Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
831005620
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2019, Form 990-T 2023, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Princeton, NJ, USA
Phone
7326003733
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,190,410
Expenses
$1,102,598
Assets
$9,594,440
Liabilities
$5,312,376

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Luis Tellez (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Zachary Swantek (Chaplain/Director): $45,752 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide Catholic support and faith through various capacities to the community at Princeton University. Our main purpose is to meet the spiritual, sacramental, intellectual and pastoral needs of the undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff of Princeton University.

What it reported doing in 2025

Ministry and Chaplaincy The Institute offers Sunday and daily Mass and confession on campus for the Princeton University community. We also provide other sacraments such as Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing of the Sick as needed. Spiritual direction is provided through our chaplains through one-on-one meetings with students. Opportunities for students to gather in small groups with their peers for Bible Studies, formation and prayer. Weekend retreats and days of recollection are offered periodically throughtout the year. Various groups for fellowship throughtout the year, including Grad Fellowship, Womens Group, and Mens Group.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 50
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 35.7%; rating input score 36
  • Program expense ratio: 70.3%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.91 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 49.7%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.7; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.55; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.1%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 23.4% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 37.4% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 35.7% of revenue deployed · 70.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $775K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $46K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 36/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 14/100.