University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.
Legal name: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 581353149
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Athens, GA, USA
- Phone
- 706‑542‑3000
- Rating
- 72
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Single Organization Support
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $348,882,827
- Expenses
- $342,668,271
- Assets
- $160,490,139
- Liabilities
- $79,455,145
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
21 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CHRISTOPHER KING (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT)
- JERE W MOREHEAD (PRESIDENT/CHAIR)
- KAREN BURG (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- JERE W MOREHEAD (PRESIDENT/CHAIR): $1,045,880 total reported compensation
- GREGORY H ROBINSON (DIRECTOR): $580,432 total reported compensation
- S JACK HU (DIRECTOR): $564,548 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
UGARF performs two primary functions in support of the research enterprise at the University of Georgia: serving as the named party to sponsored research agreements and managing intellectual property, including inventions, patents, and licensing.
What it reported doing in 2024
The research foundation contributes to the research function at the university by securing research contracts, grants, and awards from individuals, institutions, private organizations, and government agencies for performance of sponsored research in the various university colleges, schools, departments, and other units.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 83% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 93% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 88
- Transparency & Controls: 64
- Accountability: 52
- Sustainability: 39
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 98.2%; rating input score 98
- Program expense ratio: 99.8%; rating input score 100
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 10th 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: 1.8%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.47; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.5; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0.3%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 98.2% of revenue deployed · 99.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 18 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $342M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $1M · 21 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: 3 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 33/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.