Vanguard University of So Cal

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
956002998
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Costa Mesa, CA, USA
Phone
7145563610
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$97,645,736
Expenses
$96,818,116
Assets
$119,604,674
Liabilities
$67,571,418

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

Leadership & pay

33 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BEALS MICHAEL (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • BEALS MICHAEL (PRESIDENT): $428,686 total reported compensation
  • MCINTEE JUSTIN (VP FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT): $257,487 total reported compensation
  • HARTWIG RYAN (VP FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS/PROVOST): $233,859 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 mission of vanguard university is to pursue knowledge, cultivate character, deepen faith, and equip each student for a spirit-empowered life of christ-centered leadership and service.

What it reported doing in 2024

Traditional undergraduate: bachelors degrees in 37 majors and one certificate program in anti-human trafficking. Vanguard students are immersed in a learning environment that is designed for student success both in and out of the classroom. Vanguard's commitment to student learning and development promotes academic transformation by cultivating students to think critically, communicate clearly, interact intelligently and engage in civic responsibilities. Vanguard's relational culture reflects the university's core values to encourage speaking to one another with uncompromised truth in love; live in community with integrity and unyielding moral character; and to care for the well-being of one another. These core values are evidenced in local and global projects.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 90% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 51% for direct work, and 49% for 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 the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.9%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 77.9%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • 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: 78.3%; rating input score 78; 26th 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: 0.8%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.24; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.56; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.3%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.9% of revenue deployed · 77.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 23 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $75.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $429K · 33 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $7.4M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 13 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: 11 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 36/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 50/100.