The Lutheran University Association Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
350868125
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Valparaiso, IN, USA
Phone
2194645215
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$187,644,738
Expenses
$201,335,936
Assets
$606,524,754
Liabilities
$164,642,516

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

Leadership & pay

40 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOSE PADILLA (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ROGER POWELL (Head Coach Men's Basketball): $555,864 total reported compensation
  • JOSE PADILLA (PRESIDENT): $555,790 total reported compensation
  • ERIC JOHNSON (PROVOST AND EXECUTIVE VP): $333,500 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Valparaiso university is a comprehensive, private university with a lutheran heritage that serves more than 2,000 full and part time students. The university has received special recognition for its outstanding teaching and educational value. More than 60 undergraduate degree programs and interdisciplinary options are offered throughout the university at five undergraduate colleges: arts and sciences, business, engineering, nursing and health professions, and christ college.

What it reported doing in 2024

Undergraduate programs - Valparaiso University enrolls more than 2,000 undergraduate students in more than 60 academic programs that integrate the best of the liberal arts with professional preparation. Programs are offered through the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Nursing and Health Professions, as well as Christ College, Valparaiso University's Honors College. Valpo has been named one of the best values nationwide for 2025 by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the College of Nursing and Health Professions, the College of Business and the College of Engineering have been recognized for quality. Valparaiso University sponsors numerous international study opportunities and is recognized as a model in preparing graduates with strong cross-cultural skills and global awareness. The overall placement rate for Valparaiso University graduates from the class of 2024 was 98.2%. Valparaiso University's Division I Athletics teams continue to succeed in the classroom, with many honors bestowed upon Valpo student-athletes by the Missouri Valley Conference for the 2024-2025 academic and athletic year - 12 student-athletes received the President's Council Academic Excellence Honor, the Missouri Valley Conference's highest academic honor; 84 student-athletes achieved the Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award; and 225 student-athletes were named to the Missouri Valley Conference Honor Roll.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 84% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 60% for direct work, and 40% 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: 91
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 94.5%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -7.3%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.01; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 94.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 26 of 28 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $190.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $556K · 40 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $8.6M reported
  • Consistency: 47 of 47 current checks pass
  • 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: 16 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 6 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.