California · Nonprofit
BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC
BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC (California) receives grants from 173 organizations whose IRS filings report $75,157,738 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($16,100,103). 108 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 50% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2025
- $258M
- Funders on record
- 173
- Grants received
- $75M
- Net assets
- $402M
What Biola University Inc does
Mission
Biola university is a private christian university located in southern california. For over 116 years, biola has stood out as an institution grounded on biblically centered education, intentional spiritual development, and career preparation, (see sch o)where all faculty, staff and students are professing christians. With more than 145 academic programs through its six schools, biola offers degrees ranging from bachelor of arts to doctoral degree.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
School of science, technology and health:the vision of the school of science, technology and health at biola university is to equip a new generation of ethically thoughtful professionals in the sciences and health care, grounded in a christian worldview, educated in an academically rigorous environment, ready to assume positions of leadership, and able to provide the clear moral vision the world desperately needs. The school of science, technology and health offers 16 bachelor's degree program and 3 masters degree programs, and a selection of 10 minors. Degrees available include b.s. In nursing, b.s. In kinesiology, b.s. In chemistry, b.s. In robotics, and b.s. In engineering physics. The school of science, technology and health also offers the stewart science honors program which is a highly selective honors program that is academically rigorous and is guided by research and technology.as of fall 2024, the school of science, technology, & health's enrollment is 1,014 undergraduate students and 80 masters students.
$39,517,161 spentof which $24,685,401 as grants$52,372,648 earned by the program19% of program spendingAuxiliary services:auxiliary services serves the biola university community through the biola store, conference services, dining services, the print shop, residential facilities, and student transportation. Auxiliary services offers conference services for youth organizations, churches, sports camps, community groups, and other external organizations. There are six eateries available on biola university's campus, including caf biola which is the main dining facility, eagles' nest, and the heritage caf. Residential facilities include 10 residence halls and seven apartment buildings offered as housing to undergraduate and graduate students.
$27,596,230 spent$32,052,046 earned by the program13% of program spendingStudent services:student services includes student development and intercollegiate athletics. This includes a variety of student support, such as student communications, title ix administration, student engagement and wellness, housing personnel, career development, academic advising, and the counseling center for students. It also includes support for international students, special-needs students, veterans, and off-campus students.
$25,117,826 spent$2,427,617 earned by the program12% of program spendingTalbot school of theology:the mission of talbot school of theology is the development of disciples of jesus christ whose thought processes, character, and lifestyles reflect those of our lord, and who are dedicated to disciple making throughout the world. The goal is to educate and graduate students characterized by a commitment to serving christ, missionary and evangelistic zeal, and a solid knowledge of the scriptures. The talbot school of theology offers two bachelor's degree programs, nine masters degree programs, six doctoral degree programs, and five certificate programs. Degrees available include b.a. In bible, theology, and ministry; master of divinity (m.div.); and doctor of ministry. As of fall 2024, the talbot school of theology's enrollment is 280 undergraduate students, 1,097 masters students, and 342 doctoral students. Talbot school of theology engages with its students and community through its weekly podcast "think biblically," "the good book blog, and the talbot magazine which is published twice a year.
$20,026,685 spentof which $5,068,800 as grants$20,272,452 earned by the program10% of program spendingCrowell school of business:the crowell school of business prepares students academically with a foundational business education while nurturing their christian commitment through solid biblical integration in courses and contact with faculty and staff. The mission of the crowell school of business is to equip students to develop a biblical worldview so as to see business as ministry: to prepare students for excellence and leadership in their career, to be strong in mind and character, and mature in faith so that they will make an impact for god in this time and place. The crowell school of business offers two bachelor's degree programs and one online bachelor degree, four minors, and one masters degree program. Degrees available include b.s. In accounting, b.s. In business administration with 7 concentrations available, and masters of business administration.as of fall 2024, the crowell school of business's enrollment is 544 undergraduate students and 99 masters students. Every year the crowell school of business hosts the biola startup competition where undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent alumni, are invited to pitch their concept for a business or nonprofit,…
$16,727,484 spentof which $12,955,024 as grants$25,341,490 earned by the program8% of program spendingSnyder school of cinema & media arts:the synder school of cinema & media arts focuses on equipping students to serve as an observer, interpreter, and creator of mass media through a christian worldview. The school of cinema & media arts is ranked by variety as one of the 27 best film programs in the world and is ranked as the #1 christian film school. They offer three bachelor's degree programs, including b.a. In cinema and media arts, b.a. In writing for film and television, b.a. In game design and interactive media, and minor in media studies.as of fall 2024, the snyder school of cinema & media arts' enrollment is 436 undergraduate students.school of humanities & social science:the school of humanities & social sciences aims to look at humankind's similar and disparate systems, beliefs, languages and cultures and to gain an understanding through the literary masterpieces of great thinkers. They provide context for traditions and folklore and let philosophy collide with history and politics, in an attempt to make sense of the world from a human perspective, as well as a biblical perspective. The school of humanities & social sciences offers 6 bachelor's degrees along with 10…
$77,400,672 spentof which $36,644,668 as grants$79,076,182 earned by the program38% of program spending
The 6 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $206,386,058.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2023 to 2024, from $457M to $522M (+14%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 0% · 2018 0% · 2019 0% · 2020 1% · 2021 6% · 2022 3% · 2023 1% · 2024 0% · 2025 0%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
9% of BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (14% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Michael Maples
Board chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 42 funders to 66 funders, grant income rose $3.2M → $12M.
30 of 173 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 50% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 173 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 21% of grant income, and it takes 4 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 4 funders to its left
52% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 46% · 2018 22% · 2019 33% · 2020 49% · 2021 27% · 2022 32% · 2023 40% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
43% of BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 62% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
50% of BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $37M that is directly attributable, 70% of it comes from funders outside California, across 30 states.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $38M arriving through sponsors registered in 19 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC runs a healthier operating margin than half of the 684 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 684 education nonprofits over $100M, FY2025
Government funding BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $23.0M on record — $23.0M federal, $8k state.
- Department of Education$20.8M
- Department of Health and Human Services$1.9M
- Department of Defense$333k
- DISTRIBUTION TO INDIVIDUALS$8k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
85% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
77%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 8 states
Part of a family of 4 related entities
- Brite Eagle Holdings Inc · disregarded
- Charitable Remainder Unitrusts (26) · corp_trust
- Living Trust (1) · corp_trust
- Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust (2) · corp_trust
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC?
- BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC (California) receives grants from 173 organizations whose IRS filings report $75,157,738 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($16,100,103). 108 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 50% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC have?
- IRS filings report 173 organizations giving $75,157,738 in grants to BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC, 108 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC?
- FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND is the largest funder on record, with $16,100,103 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like BIOLA UNIVERSITY INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Biola University →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 173 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing