The Graduate Center, CUNY

What it reported doing in 2024

See schedule o: the graduate center foundation was established in 1983 as an independent not-for-profit entity that is committed to promoting and safeguarding the success of the graduate center. As the sole channel for contributions to the programs, centers and institutions of the graduate center, the foundation works with the president and provost of the graduate center on institutional priorities such as student housing, career planning and collaborative research, and with program leaders on targeted scholarships and stipends, travel and conference aid, and communicating to and from alumni. The foundation also manages and invests donations for use by the graduate center.the cuny graduate center, a leader in public graduate education, is committed to doctoral and master's education for the public good. Innovative research, rigorous scholarship, and collaborative and interdisciplinary learning define graduate education here, preparing students with the creative, problem-solving expertise necessary to thrive in and beyond the academic experience.located in the heart of manhattan and set within the large and multi-campus city university of New York, the graduate center fosters advanced graduate education, original research and scholarship, innovative university-wide programs, and vibrant public events that draw upon and contribute to the complex communities of New York city and beyond.through a broad range of nationally prominent doctoral programs, the graduate center prepares students to be scholars, teachers, experts, and leaders in the academy; in the arts; and in the private, nonprofit, and government sectors. Committed to cuny's historic mission of educating the children of "the whole people," the graduate center provides access to graduate education for diverse groups of highly talented students, including those who have been underrepresented in higher education.three largest program service achievements for are: a. Cuny received a $50 million grant from the simons foundation. The funding allows cuny to create a new master's degree program, hire new faculty, and create workforce opportunities for students and faculty at the nation's largest and most diverse urban public university. The program, housed at the cuny graduate center, will strengthen the university's research and innovation capabilities and will build new career pathways into the advanced computer industry.b. The cuny graduate center receives a $10 million gift from the leon levy foundation to endow the leon levy center for biography. This donation is the one of largest in the graduate center's history and brings the leon levy foundation's total giving to the gc to $22.8 million. Established with a generous gift from the leon levy foundation in 2007, the leon levy center for biography at the cuny graduate center supports working biographers through its prestigious fellowship program and cultivates important discussions about the art and craft of biography through lectures and events with esteemed biographers. It also supports the graduate center's biography and memoir master's program.c. Based at the cuny graduate center, the andrew mellon foundation continues to support the social practice cuny project. Through a grant of $600,000, the spcuny project is designed to create a new generation of cultural leaders in nyc who are diverse and committed to bringing social change through art, drawing on the strengths of interdisciplinary mfa programs. Spcuny works to connect students and faculty working in socially engaged art across all of the cuny campuses, with a focus on interdisciplinary mfa programs at the senior cuny colleges.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 31.4%; rating input score 31
• Program expense ratio: 94.1%; rating input score 94
• Fundraising efficiency: $153.5 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Limited
  • Requires narrative reports: Limited
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Limited
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Limited
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 38th 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 70.5%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 16.06; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings