Vanguard University Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
912164193
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Costa Mesa, CA, USA
Phone
7145563610
Rating
59
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$35,517,620
Expenses
$795,234
Assets
$52,758,987
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL BEALS DIRECTOR (PRESIDENT-VANGUARD UNIVERSITY)
  • JUSTIN MCINTEE (PRESIDENT-FOUNDATION)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL BEALS DIRECTOR (PRESIDENT-VANGUARD UNIVERSITY): $428,686 total reported compensation
  • JUSTIN MCINTEE (PRESIDENT-FOUNDATION): $257,487 total reported compensation
  • JEREMY MOSER (TREASURER (THRU 08/24)): $181,290 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 vanguard university foundation supports the university through fundraising and management of the endowment. Foundation directors are distinguished members of the community, primarily of orange county, who support the mission of vanguard as ambassadors and donors.

What it reported doing in 2024

The foundation administers the various endowed scholarship programs that provide needed aid to vanguard university current students, reducing the gap between the cost of a college education and the family's ability to contribute.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% 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

MIXED - 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 few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 33
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 87
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 3.9%; rating input score 4
  • Program expense ratio: 90.9%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 78.9%; rating input score 79; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 97.8%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 66.34; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 45%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 28.9% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 3.9% of revenue deployed · 90.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 19 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $723K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $429K · 21 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 14 of 14 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 2 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 4/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 0/100.