The Open Secret Colleges and Universities Don’t Want You To Know
In 1984, the average tuition, room and board was about $4,600, which equates to $14,000 in 2024, taking into consideration the inflation rate, which means todays price of tuition, room and board should be about 300% higher than in 1984. But, we all know that isn’t the case.
The average tuition, room and board at a college or university (and it varies depending on whether the school is private or public) in 2024 is about $42,000 – about 900% more than in 1984. Most private schools cost $80,000 – $100,000 annually which makes people – and especially parents – wonder why have the costs of educating our kids increased so dramatically? Read more 
Executive Compensation at Columbia (2022)
2022 was a record year for Columbia University (Columbia) and many of its employees with total revenue reaching an all time high: $7.1 billion while expenses totaled $5.6 billion (not including $329 in depreciation). Although the university’s expenses were more than $1 billion less than total revenue, $2.3 billion in net unrealized losses on investments (2022 was not a great year in the market) caused net assets to decline from $19.6 billion to $18.4 billion at year-end.
In terms of compensation, 37,144 employees were compensated $3.6 billion, which equates to an average compensation of $79,000. The 20 most highly compensated individuals (listed below) received $39 million which equates to an average compensation package of nearly $2 million each: Read more
Alice Waters: Put Your Menu Where Your Mouth Is
Recently, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) printed a piece on food and specifically the food of the south of France. Underlying the story is a question: Why are we so hungry for the food of the South of France right now? In trying to answer that question, Alice Waters, the 79-year old founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California said
We need to make our diets healthy by eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat, and we need to respond to climate change with farming methods that protect and renew the earth…which is what they’ve been doing in the south of France for centuries.
Executive Compensation at Dairy Management (2022)
Dairy Management Inc (DMI) is the big organization that most people haven’t heard of because unless you’re a dairy producer, work in the dairy industry, or work in the corporate offices of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Dominoe’s, or KFC, you would have no reason to know that this non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (6) is the most powerful non-profit dairy organization in the country.
Considered a “check-off” program authorized by Congress but responsible to their members, DMI’s mission is to increase consumption of dairy products by finding more ways to get dairy products to the public including assisting fast food companies with menu items. Read more
How Dairy Management Spends Revenue (2022)
Dairy Management Inc (DMI) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (6) whose purpose is to promote dairy products in order to increase consumption of dairy products.
Funded by a mandate by Congress, DMI is what is referred to as a “check off program” where all producers have to contribute funds for the good of the industry. Dairy producers are required to contribute 15 cents per 100 pounds (foreign dairy producers are required to contribute 7.5 cents per 100 pounds) which equates to about 1.5 cents per gallon of milk, all of which adds up to about $150-$170 million annually (which is then spent on marketing (about 60%), administrative organization expenses (about 30%) and export expenses (about 10%). Read more
Executive Compensation at Advent Health (2022)
AdventHealth (formerly known as Adventist Health System until 2019 when the 501 (c) (3) “rebranded” itself) is one of the largest non-profit health care providers in the United States with more than 50 hospitals and hundreds of care sites in 9 states. Based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, AdventHealth is a very large system with dozens of separate tax-exempt non-profit and for-profit organizations.
This post looks at the executive compensation at Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare Corporation (AHSSHC), the tax-exempt, non profit organization that provides management, leadership, and oversight to the affiliates. It is important to note there are dozens of other related and affiliated non-profits and for profit organizations related to AdventHealth that are not covered in this post. Read more
Executive Compensation at the American Bankers Association (ABA) 2022
The American Bankers Association (ABA) is a non-profit 501 (c) (6) organization – “a business league that pushes advocacy, provides education, products, and solutions to its membership and the financial services industry.” In other words, the ABA is a tax-exempt association for banks, savings and loans, and trust companies. Based in Washington, DC the ABA engages in lobbying, works to establish banking standards, and educates the public and its members.
While some people think of non-profits as almost an afterthought, the ABA is anything but insignificant. The ABA raises more than $140 million annually, typically spends less than it brings in, and has accumulated$ 573 million in net assets – a $450 million increase over the previous year due to a windfall on the income statement in 2022 referred to as “transaction fees.” Read more
Executive Compensation at the American Bankers Association (ABA) 2021
The American Bankers Association (ABA) is a non-profit 501 (c) (6) organization – “a business league that pushes advocacy, provides education, products, and solutions to its membership and the financial services industry.” In other words, the ABA is a tax-exempt association for banks, savings and loans, and trust companies. Based in Washington, DC the ABA engages in lobbying, works to establish banking standards, and educates the public and its members.
While some people think of non-profits as almost an afterthought, the ABA is anything but insignificant. The ABA raises more than $140 million annually, typically spends less than it brings in, and has accumulated $121 million in net assets. Read more
Executive Compensation at Americans For Prosperity (2022)
Americans For Prosperity (AFP) is a conservative political advocacy committee (PAC) founded in 2004 that is actually two organizations: AFP, the social welfare organization and therefore a 501 (c) (4), and the Americans For Prosperity Foundation (AFPF), an “educational” organization, a 501 (c) (3).
Both organizations are tax-exempt non-profits with two major differences between them: donations to AFP are not tax deductible while donations to AFPF are tax deductible; and, as a 501 (c) (4), AFP can engage in more lobbying (businesses and unions can donate unlimited amounts of funds) while AFPF, as a 501 (c) (3) can only engage in a limited amount of lobbying because the organization is considered an educational organization. Read more
How Americans For Prosperity Spends Revenue (2022)
Americans for Prosperity is actually two organizations: Americans For Prosperity (AFP) and Americans For Prosperity Foundation (AFPF). Both organizations are tax-exempt non-profit organizations but AFP is a 501 (c) (4) while AFPF is a 501 (c) (3). The primary difference between the two organizations is that donations to AFPF are tax deductible while donations made to AFP are not. In addition, AFP is considered a social welfare organization so they can engage in more lobbying while AFPF is considered an educational organization and is therefore limited in how much they spend on lobbying.
Although both organizations operate out of the same office in Arlington, Virginia and share employees, how a donation was spent depends on which organization received the donation. Read more
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