University of Nevada, Reno Foundation
Legal name: University of Nevada Reno Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 942781749
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Reno, NV, USA
- Phone
- (775) 784-1587
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Single Organization Support
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $101,755,310
- Expenses
- $63,431,908
- Assets
- $597,911,342
- Liabilities
- $9,971,361
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
50 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Patricia Richard Interim (Executive Director (Until 3/2025))
- Brian Sandoval (President, UNR)
- Tracy Ostrem (Executive Director (From 4/2025))
Highest reported compensation
- Brian Sandoval (President, UNR): $654,370 total reported compensation
- Patricia Richard Interim (Executive Director (Until 3/2025)): $354,528 total reported compensation
- Holly Stanco (Corporate Secretary (Until 9/2024)): $294,223 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 University of Nevada, Reno Foundation is a critical link between the University of Nevada, Reno and the communities it serves.
What it reported doing in 2024
University Programs: The University of Nevada Reno Foundation receives, manages & disburses funds in accordance with the designated restricted purpose for which the gifts were donated. Provides programmatic funding supporting students, faculty, research & the community in the area funds were raised for. There were 1,256 endowed funds in FY25.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 83% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 70
- Transparency & Controls: 60
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 92
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 62.7%; rating input score 63
- Program expense ratio: 82.7%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $35.98 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
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: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 37.7%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.43; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0.5%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 62.7% of revenue deployed · 82.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 37 of 37 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $52.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $654K · 50 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $730K reported
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 13 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.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.