United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O
- Income
- $45.2 million
- Spending
- $16.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 78.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- investment income, 75%
- Employees
- 7
- Volunteers
- 17
- Highest pay
- $499,352, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 94% of charities in its peer group (international, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 78.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 64% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 250% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (international, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2517 of 17 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $8.7 million spent. THE UNITED BOARD ACCEPTS CONTRIBUTIONS SUPPORTING WORK WITH COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN ITS NETWORK IN ASIA. IN COMPLIANCE WITH IRS REGULATIONS, SUCH CONTRIBUTIONS ARE ACCEPTED ONLY FOR PROJECTS CONSISTENT WITH ITS MISSION AND THAT HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY ITS BOARD OF TRUSTEES. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS, INCLUDING THOSE DESIGNATED BY DONORS OR SPECIFIC INSTITUTIONS OR PURPOSES, REMAIN SUBJECT TO THE DISCRETION AND CONTROL OF THE UNITED BOARD'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES. APPROVED PROJECTS MAY INCLUDE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS; LIBRARY SUPPORT; FACULTY DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING FACULTY SCHOLARSHIPS AND TRAINING; SUPPORT FOR FACULTY SALARIES AND BENEFITS (SUCH AS MERIT PRIZES AND PROFESSORIAL CHAIRS); SUPPORT FOR A PARTICULAR ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT; PROGRAMS TO ENHANCE CHRISTIAN PRESENCE ON CAMPUS; AND OTHER INITIATIVES CONSISTENT WITH THE UNITED BOARD'S MISSION AND POLICIES. THE UNITED BOARD REMITS FUNDS TO INSTITUTIONS AS DESIGNATED GRANTS FOR THE PURPOSE INDICATED BY THE DONORS, CONSISTENT WITH BOARD APPROVAL AND OVERSIGHT. THE UNITED BOARD MONITORS THE APPROPRIATE USE OF ALL GRANTS, INCLUDING DESIGNATED GRANTS, BY REQUIRING NARRATIVE AND FINANCIAL REPORTS FROM RECIPIENT INSTITUTIONS. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE UNITED BOARD DISBURSED DESIGNATED GRANTS TOTALING $8,680,187.
- $510,032 spent. THE UNITED BOARD SUPPORTS INSTITUTIONS IN ITS NETWORK THROUGH COMPETITIVE AND STRATEGIC PROJECT GRANTS ALIGNED WITH ITS MISSION. CURRENT GRANT INITIATIVES FOCUS ON LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION; FACULTY DEVELOPMENT TO ENHANCE TEACHING, LEARNING, AND RESEARCH; CAMPUS-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS; CULTURE AND RELIGION IN ASIA; AND OTHER SPECIAL INITIATIVES RESPONSIVE TO EMERGING NEEDS. THROUGH THESE GRANTS, THE UNITED BOARD STRENGTHENS INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY, PROMOTES WHOLE PERSON EDUCATION, AND LINKS TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ACTION RESEARCH AND REFLECTION. THESE EFFORTS FOSTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP, PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE, AND SERVICE TO SOCIETY.IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE UNITED BOARD APPROVED AND DISBURSED 18 PROJECT GRANTS TO 17 INSTITUTIONS, TOTALING $510,032.
- $1.1 million spent. THE UNITED BOARD ACCEPTS ENDOWMENT GIFTS TO PROVIDE UNRESTRICTED SUPPORT FOR ITS WORK AND ALSO ACCEPTS CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE TERM AND PERMANENT ENDOWMENTS SET UP FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE CONSISTENT WITH THE MISSION AND POLICIES OF THE UNITED BOARD. DISBURSEMENTS FROM ENDOWMENTS ARE MADE ANNUALLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE UNITED BOARD'S INVESTMENT AND SPENDING POLICY AND THE TERMS APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES GOVERNING EACH ENDOWMENT. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE UNITED BOARD DISBURSED ENDOWMENT GRANTS TOTALING $ 1,077,069.
- $2.4 million spent. THE UNITED BOARD ALSO SUPPORTS WORK WITH INSTITUTIONS IN ITS NETWORK IN ASIA THROUGH GRANT PROGRAMS AND DIRECTLY ADMINISTERED FACULTY AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES. THESE INITIATIVES PROVIDE STRUCTURED TRAINING, INSTITUTIONAL PLACEMENTS, AND PROFESSIONAL FORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS ACROSS THE REGION.THESE INCLUDE:UNITED BOARD FELLOWS PROGRAM. THE UNITED BOARD FELLOWS PROGRAM PROVIDES EMERGING LEADERS AT INSTITUTIONS IN ITS NETWORK WITH EXPOSURE TO BEST PRACTICES IN UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP. THIS IS ACHIEVED THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN AN INTENSIVE, THREE-WEEK SUMMER INSTITUTE ON UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP, A ONE- TO FOUR-MONTH PLACEMENT AT A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY IN ASIA, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM YEAR. FELLOWS LEARN NEW APPROACHES TO TEACHING, LEARNING, AND MANAGEMENT, WHICH THEY CAN SHARE WITH COLLEAGUES FROM THEIR HOME INSTITUTIONS. THEY DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND ENDURING NETWORKS AND GAIN GREATER CONFIDENCE, DECISION-MAKING ABILITIES, AND A WILLINGNESS TO EMBRACE NEW CHALLENGES. SINCE 2002, OVER 250 MID-LEVEL FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATORS FROM ASIAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HAVE COMPLETED THE UNITED BOARD FELLOWS PROGRAM AND RETURNED TO THEIR HOME INSTITUTIONS. IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE UNITED BOARD SUPPORTED 25 FELLOWS AND PRESIDENTS FOR $178,500.UNITED BOARD FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. THE UNITED BOARD FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM HELPS DEVELOP AND RETAIN OUTSTANDING EDUCATORS AT ASIAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES BY OFFERING YOUNG FACULTY MEMBERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE ADVANCED DEGREES. HOST UNIVERSITIES IN AUSTRALIA, CHINA, INDONESIA, JAPAN, KOREA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, THE PHILIPPINES, AND THAILAND OPEN THEIR CAMPUSES TO FACULTY SCHOLARS FROM LESS DEVELOPED INSTITUTIONS, OFFERING THEM COURSEWORK, RESEARCH GUIDANCE, EXPOSURE TO NEW STYLES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, AND A NETWORK OF THEIR PEERS. THE SCHOLARS RETURN TO THEIR HOME INSTITUTIONS WITH PHD OR MASTER'S DEGREES AS WELL AS INNOVATIVE IDEAS AND AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK THAT ENRICHES THEIR CLASSROOMS FOR YEARS TO COME. IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2025, 52 SCHOLARS BENEFITED FROM THIS PROGRAM, WITH TOTAL SPENDING OF $403,289. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, PROGRAM FEES, AND SEMINARS. THE UNITED BOARD ORGANIZES AND SPONSORS NUMEROUS LEADERSHIP AND FACULTY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, USUALLY COLLABORATING WITH AN ASIAN COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY. THESE PROGRAMS GATHER TOGETHER SELECTED LEADERS, FACULTY, AND ADMINISTRATORS FROM COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE UNITED BOARD'S NETWORK TO EXPLORE PRESSING ISSUES IN ASIAN HIGHER EDUCATION. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE UNITED BOARD EXPENDED $226,831 ON THESE INITIATIVES
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 1946.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
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