Spring Arbor University FY2024 filing

Tax-deductible

Spring Arbor, MI501(c)(3)Since 1873Colleges & UniversitiesEIN 38-1359569

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SPRING ARBOR UNIVERSITY PROVIDES POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION TO OVER 2,441 STUDENTS, GRANTING BA, BS, MA ,MS, and DNP DEGREES.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
91¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$954K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2024 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
5 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $6.9M a year · 10% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 5 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
91%
of spending
Looks good: 91% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$954K
to officers and key staff · 2% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 2% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
5 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 5.3 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
4
named funders · $35K
Looks good: 4 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$25.1M
20% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 20% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
21
of 21 voting members
Looks good: 21 of 21 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$62.4M
+8% vs prior year
Spent
$58.0M
To programs
91%
Net assets
$99.1M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$62.4M
FY2024▲ +8%
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$68.0M
FY2021$70.9M
FY2022$70.9M
FY2023$57.8M
FY2024$62.4M
FY2025$74.6M
Expenses
$58.0M
FY2024▼ -2%
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$64.6M
FY2021$61.5M
FY2022$60.7M
FY2023$59.4M
FY2024$58.0M
FY2025$58.6M
Net assets
$99.1M
FY2024▲ +10%
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$66.6M
FY2021$82.1M
FY2022$90.9M
FY2023$90.1M
FY2024$99.1M
FY2025$108.5M

From the FY2024 Form 990 (year ending May 2024) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2024 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in May 1972.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

91 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 91% · $52.7M Management & general 8% · $4.7M Fundraising 1% · $679K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

27 people listed on the 990; $954K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2023); the FY2024 filing did not itemize Part VII
President
$319,643Pt VII · Sec A
Provost/Cao
$144,888Pt VII · Sec A
Executive Vice President
$134,047Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Finance & Administration
$126,405Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Information Officer
$122,649Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Enrollment Management
$106,574Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Brent Ellis’s $326K as President is at the 70th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3683 $10–100M education nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Brent Ellis——$314,893$405,109$230,987$241,949
Brent Ellis$326,066$319,643————
Carol Green$145,880$144,888————
Carol Green——$139,396$122,353$119,964$122,188
Doug Wilcoxson$134,224$134,047————
Kevin Rose—————$131,707
Doug Wilcoxson——$130,205$128,342$127,634$126,671
Randall Melton——$119,726$126,686$116,784$111,584

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Provides Christian post-secondary education to over 2,400 students through on-campus and online programs, granting associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

Provided by the organization

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1 program service account for $52.7M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2023.
01

Spring arbor university is a christian institution serving over 2,390 students. All program service expenses are related to instruction, academic support, student and auxiliary services for those students who study at our main campus, through our online education or at one of our sites around the state of michigan.

$52.7Mprogram expense

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Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 4 funders$35K
See all 4 funders →
Grants paid · 9 grants · $100.0M · 2019–2024
Unitemized GrantFY2024$17,464,574
Unitemized GrantFY2023$16,217,011
Unitemized GrantFY2022$15,758,938
Unitemized GrantFY2021$15,349,437
Unitemized GrantFY2021$2,388,725
Unitemized GrantFY2020$15,268,344
Unitemized GrantFY2020$811,268
Unitemized GrantFY2019$16,004,298
Unitemized GrantFY2019$770,000

By the numbers

The FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$62.4M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$52.1M
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$10.3M
Investment incomeLn 3$85K
Money outPt IX
$58.0M
Ln 25
Programscol B$52.7M
Managementcol C$4.7M
Fundraisingcol D$679K
Owns and owesPt X
$99.1M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$25.6M
Total assetsLn 16$124.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26$25.1M
PeoplePt VI, VII
27
listed · VII A
PaidVII A6
Voting boardVI 1a21
IndependentVI 1b21
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$10.3M
Government grantsLn 1e$307K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$995K
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$594K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$52.1M
Investment incomeLn 3$85K
Gains on assetsLn 7−$198K
Total revenueLn 12$62.4M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$2K
SavingsLn 2$25.6M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$25.6M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$30.1M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$54.4M
Other assetsLn 15$1.8M
Total assetsLn 16$124.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26$25.1M
Net assetsLn 32$99.1M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 51,118
VolunteersI 620
Fiscal year endsHeaderMay
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY24End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$24.3M$25.6M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$22.4M$30.1M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$56.5M$54.4M
Total assetsLn 16$116.7M$124.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26$26.6M$25.1M
Net assetsLn 32$90.1M$99.1M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$16.2M$16.2M
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$506K$430K$66K$10K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$14.5M$12.3M$1.9M$289K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$639K$543K$83K$13K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$2.1M$1.8M$275K$42K
Payroll taxesLn 10$1.2M$994K$152K$23K
Legal feesLn 11b$34K$34K
Accounting feesLn 11c$111K$111K
Investment management feesLn 11f$27K$27K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$976K$830K$127K$20K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$4.0M$3.4M$518K$80K
Office expensesLn 13$2.7M$2.3M$345K$53K
OccupancyLn 16$4.4M$3.7M$568K$87K
TravelLn 17$2.7M$2.3M$354K$54K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$340K$289K$44K$7K
InterestLn 20$547K$547K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$2.5M$2.5M
InsuranceLn 23$500K$425K$75K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$4.1M$4.1M
All other expensesLn 24e$0$0$0$0
Total functional expensesLn 25$58.0M$52.7M$4.7M$679K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $74.6M$58.6M$15.9M$108.5M 990 PDF
FY2024 Viewing $62.4M$58.0M$4.4M$99.1M 990 PDF
FY2023 $57.8M$59.4M−$1.6M$90.1M 990 PDF
FY2022 $70.9M$60.7M$10.2M$90.9M 990 PDF
FY2021 $70.9M$61.5M$9.4M$82.1M 990 PDF
FY2020 $68.0M$64.6M$3.4M$66.6M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2024 990 (4 parts)
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $62,400,836 across 11 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $36,792 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1c Fundraising events$594,275
VIII-1e Government grants$307,491
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$9,355,745
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$994,967
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$10,257,511
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $51,739,051 · Unrelated business $335,258$52,074,309
VIII-3 Investment incomeUnrelated business $56,514 · Excluded from tax $226,025$282,539
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax −$197,865−$197,865
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising eventsExcluded from tax −$438,441−$438,441
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $385,991$385,991
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $52,161,834 · Unrelated business $391,772 · Excluded from tax −$410,281$62,400,836
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $57,994,359 across 23 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $0$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $16,217,011$16,217,011
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsPrograms $0$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for membersPrograms $0$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $430,108 · Management $65,781 · Fundraising $10,120$506,009
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $12,291,202 · Management $1,879,831 · Fundraising $289,205$14,460,238
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $542,902 · Management $83,032 · Fundraising $12,774$638,708
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $1,798,263 · Management $275,028 · Fundraising $42,312$2,115,603
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $994,278 · Management $152,066 · Fundraising $23,395$1,169,739
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $33,737$33,737
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $111,085$111,085
IX-11f Investment management feesManagement $26,616$26,616
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $829,756 · Management $126,904 · Fundraising $19,524$976,184
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $3,384,797 · Management $517,675 · Fundraising $79,642$3,982,114
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $2,258,850 · Management $345,471 · Fundraising $53,150$2,657,471
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $3,715,677 · Management $568,280 · Fundraising $87,428$4,371,385
IX-17 TravelPrograms $2,313,673 · Management $353,856 · Fundraising $54,439$2,721,968
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $289,272 · Management $44,242 · Fundraising $6,806$340,320
IX-20 InterestPrograms $547,299$547,299
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $2,483,434$2,483,434
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $425,231 · Management $75,041$500,272
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $4,135,166$4,135,166
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $52,656,919 · Management $4,658,645 · Fundraising $678,795$57,994,359
Part X · Balance sheet $124,142,690 assets, 19 lines filed
Asset lines not itemized here account for $168,570; see the IRS return.
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $6,300$2,500
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $24,282,491$25,601,476
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $5,623,573$7,455,031
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $3,814,096$3,333,262
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $21,953$18,196
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $1,019,885$1,152,502
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $56,549,825$54,433,445
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $22,164,919$29,930,244
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $205,385$204,808
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $2,717,968$1,842,656
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $116,679,644$124,142,690
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $1,919,364$2,229,392
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $2,404,885$2,427,281
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $3,830,531$2,776,398
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $26,623,578$25,077,584
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $60,420,678$61,767,688
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $29,635,388$37,297,418
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $90,056,066$99,065,106
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $116,679,644$124,142,690
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $99,065,106 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$62,400,836
XI-2 Total expenses$57,994,359
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$4,406,477
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$90,056,066
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$4,239,335
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$363,228
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$99,065,106

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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