Webster University

Overview

Mission

Webster University nurtures the skills, knowledge and personal growth of our students, cultivating learners who are engaged citizens, ready to create meaningful change in their communities and the world. People are the greatest resource at Webster, and the institution is committed to responsibly caring for them, as well as the resources entrusted to the institution in ways that align with our values. Recognizing that it is a privilege to hold the trust, time, talents and dedication of others, we actively care for the well-being and development of our students, faculty and staff. A group of campus leaders pose for a photo. We commit to growth and reflective practices that enhance our programs, processes and impacts, continually elevating our service to the community and advancing our mission. We embrace a mindset of lifelong learning, honest self-reflection and emotional intelligence...

Operating model

Revenue model

Other-operating. 95% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.

Distribution model

Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 70% for direct work, and 30% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

• Financial Efficiency: 82
• Transparency & Controls: 86
• Accountability: 90
• Sustainability: 31
• Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Details

• What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site
• Where the money goes: 94.7% of revenue deployed · 84.7% of spending went to programs
• Governance: 18 of 22 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
• Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $155.1M in reported program spending
• Leadership: top reported pay $774K · 30 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
• Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $15.7M reported
• Consistency: 46 of 46 current checks pass
• Schedules: 13 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
• Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
• Contacts: How to reach this organization
• Money network: 13 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.

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: 7 of 8 not reported.
• High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 8/100.
• High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
• High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
• High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
• High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
• Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
• Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.
• Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.
• High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.