GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION
Abundant Pathways. Intersecting Perspectives. Transformative Impact.
GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION
EIN: 94-1581707
Mission
An institution of higher learning unlike any other, the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley brings together scholars of the world’s diverse religions and wisdom traditions to advance new knowledge, share inspiration, and collaborate on solutions. We carry out our work by: - Educating scholars for vocations devoted to study and service - Equipping leaders for a world of diverse religions and cultures -Teaching patterns of faith that encourage justice and care of the planet -Serving as an educational and theological resource for local communities, the nation, and the world
Notes from the nonprofit
Additional resources regarding accreditation: WSCUC: https://www.wscuc.org/institutions/graduate-theological-union/?print=pdf. ATS: https://www.ats.edu/member-schools/graduate-theological-union
Ruling year
1964
President
Uriah Y Kim
Main address
2400 Ridge Rd
Berkeley, CA 94709 USA
EIN
94-1581707
Humanities
Higher education
Graduate and professional education
Adult education
Alumni relations
Population served
Adults
Religious groups
Academics
NTEE code
Higher Education Institutions (B40)
Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis (X05)
Interfaith Issues (X90)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reports Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
The Graduate Theological Union cultivates interreligious understanding and courageous partnerships to foster spiritually-grounded action in the creation of a more just and loving world. We seek to take forward this vital mission within a shifting landscape for higher education and religious practice, alike. As religious affiliation declines, the appetite for spiritual fulfillment is on an upward trajectory. Likewise, even as learning styles and delivery mechanisms change, opportunities abound for higher education to meet the needs of this changing spiritual landscape. The dynamics of engagement are changing in an accelerated way, including: - Greater use of new technologies - Higher expectations for career outcomes - Intersection with professional development and personal enrichment The GTU is seizing this opportunity to respond to these cultural shifts by offering a new vision: GTU 2.0.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
PhD, MA, Certificates and Continuing Education
GTU's program offerings provide for a range of educational, research, and practice-based learning opportunities, including a doctoral program, master of arts program, certificate programs in interreligious studies and interreligious chaplaincy, and its free online learning platform, GTUx. Situated within a unique interreligious and interdisciplinary environment, this array of offerings provides dynamic, stimulating, and academically rigorous pathways to a variety of student outcomes, from professional advancement to personal enrichment.
Through its world-renowned research facilities and an expansive consortium of member schools and affiliates, in addition to its cross-registration agreement with neighboring UC Berkeley, on-campus and online GTU is a leader in forging new approaches to the exploration of spirituality, religion, and theology in the context of broader social, cultural and theoretical frameworks.
Center for Islamic Studies
The Center for Islamic Studies (CIS) provides graduate courses in Islamic history, theology, philosophy, culture, arts, and religious practice. Founded in 2007, CIS serves to foster dialogue and interaction among Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars and provides resources to local Muslim communities.
The Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies
The Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies (CJS) is a premier center for the advanced study of Jewish history, literature, and culture. Among the Center’s areas of academic focus are modern Jewish literature and culture, Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Islamic relations from late antiquity to modernity, rabbinic Judaism, Jewish mysticism, and Jewish literary studies. CJS also hosts numerous conferences and lectures, celebrations of Jewish holidays, and other programs that attract wide participation by the public.
Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences facilitates and promotes the crucial dialogue between religion and science. Originally incorporated in 1982 as a not-for-profit organization, this long-time GTU affiliate became a GTU program unit in 2016. CTNS finds the GTU’s diverse, engaged community to be the perfect setting to bridge divides.
Center for the Arts & Religion
The Center for the Arts & Religion (CARe) promotes scholarship, reflection, and practice in the arts and religion, serving the Graduate Theological Union and benefiting the broader community.
Center for Dharma Studies
The Center for Dharma Studies (CDS) supports scholars and students from the Hindu and Jain Dharmic heritage communities and many other traditions as they seek to understand Dharma in its multidimensional richness. CDS emphasizes the study, teaching, and research on the Dharma Traditions as spiritual and practical resources for engaging the challenges of a complex global reality.
GTUx (gtu.edu/x)
GTUx is a global destination for digital learning brought to you by the Graduate Theological Union, one of the world’s foremost higher education institutions of interreligious life, learning, and leadership.
Discover and sign up for learning opportunities on topics inspired by the dynamic conversations and rigorous scholarly research of our faculty, including theology, ethics, justice, spiritual care, and beyond.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of program graduates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
PhD, MA, Certificates and Continuing Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Discover more about our graduates at the following websites: - 2022 Commencement: https://2022commencement.gtu.edu/ - 2021 Commencement: https://2021commencement.gtu.edu/
Number of students registered for online courses
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
By the end of 2022, we had attracted nearly 7,000 registered users to our new online learning platform, GTUx (gtu.edu/x)
Total dollar amount of scholarship awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Learn more about tuition assistance for our students in our 2022 Impact Report: https://www.gtu.edu/news/2022-impact-report
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of students who receive scholarship funds and/or tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
For over 60 years, the GTU has brought together the world’s religions to foster an understanding of the deep connections and important particularities of wisdom traditions that are our greatest shared inheritance and resource.
Building on this foundation, the GTU is poised to “leapfrog” in its evolution. By strategically shifting our institutional focus and resources, the GTU will have the opportunity to fully mature into a recognized higher education leader for critical thinking and spiritually-rooted study, service, care, and social and environmental justice on a global scale. The GTU aspires to become an ecosystem of creativity, connection, and community—creating a borderless environment for learning and sharing wisdom from the world’s many spiritual pathways and traditions.
We will realize this vision through:
- Program Innovation
- Reimagining GTU's Services and Campus Footprint
- Partnerships
In taking forward this work, our goals include:
- Launching expanded online learning opportunities, including the introduction of our new digital learning platform, GTUx (gtu.edu/x)
- Consolidating our physical presence on "Holy Hill"
- Forging alliances and deepening relationships across an array of values-aligned institutions and organizations
- Further integrating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging into the very fabric of our institutional culture, practices, and policies.
- Optimizing our Advancement function to best position the GTU for success in realizing our ambitious vision.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
As mentioned above, our primary strategies include:
- Launching expanded online learning opportunities, including the introduction of our new digital learning platform, GTUx (gtu.edu/x)
- Consolidating our physical presence on "Holy Hill"
- Forging alliances and deepening relationships across an array of values-aligned institutions and organizations
- Further integrating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging ("DEI") into the very fabric of our institutional culture, practices, and policies.
- Optimizing our Advancement function to best position the GTU for success in realizing our ambitious vision.
Further information about our implementation and progress towards these goals can be found on the following web page: gtu.edu/about/board-of-trustees/5-year-vision
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Further information about our implementation and progress towards these goals can be found on the following web page: gtu.edu/about/board-of-trustees/5-year-vision
Highlights include:
- Launching GTUx in March 2022, and attracting nearly 7,000 registered users to date.
- Initiating a reimagined presence at our flagship campus at 2400 Ridge Road in Berkeley, CA, while forging a partnership with UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy to occupy our property on LeConte Avenue.
- Working to develop a clear set of DEI guidelines, building on the work of a Select Committee of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion among the GTU's Board of Trustees.
- Setting and meeting key benchmarks for advancement as part of a comprehensive departmental strategic plan.
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2021 info
1.25
Months of cash in 2021 info
4.2
Fringe rate in 2021 info
22%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $318,530 | -$197,641 | $485,797 | $361,417 | $415,323 |
| As % of expenses | 3.3% | -2.1% | 5.3% | 3.8% | 4.0% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$738,794 | -$1,250,459 | -$579,963 | -$689,606 | -$655,784 |
| As % of expenses | -7.0% | -11.7% | -5.7% | -6.5% | -5.7% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $8,636,362 | $13,131,377 | $7,057,321 | $7,844,392 | $8,414,680 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -59.2% | 52.0% | -46.3% | 11.2% | 7.3% |
| Program services revenue | 76.9% | 44.3% | 76.1% | 61.3% | 57.8% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 4.5% | 2.4% | 8.0% | 3.4% | 4.7% |
| Government grants | 0.7% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 10.2% | 9.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 8.3% | 49.1% | 5.0% | 13.8% | 18.3% |
| Other revenue | 9.6% | 3.8% | 9.9% | 11.3% | 10.2% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $9,534,076 | $9,638,182 | $9,196,508 | $9,490,230 | $10,401,162 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 16.6% | 1.1% | -4.6% | 3.2% | 9.6% |
| Personnel | 57.8% | 52.1% | 59.9% | 61.1% | 58.4% |
| Professional fees | 7.2% | 9.3% | 4.7% | 7.6% | 9.4% |
| Occupancy | 5.9% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 4.5% | 3.8% |
| Interest | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Pass-through | 13.8% | 14.5% | 15.3% | 13.3% | 13.5% |
| All other expenses | 15.3% | 18.8% | 14.8% | 13.2% | 14.3% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $10,591,400 | $10,691,000 | $10,262,268 | $10,541,253 | $11,472,269 |
| One month of savings | $794,506 | $803,182 | $766,376 | $790,853 | $866,764 |
| Debt principal payment | $143,807 | $47,899 | $0 | $0 | $80,004 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,166,341 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $11,529,713 | $11,542,081 | $11,028,644 | $12,498,447 | $12,419,037 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 4.5 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
| Months of cash and investments | 57.5 | 66.3 | 69.1 | 64.3 | 71.2 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $3,548,480 | $2,255,461 | $2,223,041 | $2,764,761 | $3,670,811 |
| Investments | $42,171,979 | $50,974,942 | $50,701,163 | $48,083,731 | $58,002,802 |
| Receivables | $3,528,502 | $2,441,155 | $2,193,240 | $249,807 | $470,170 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $34,571,501 | $35,207,507 | $35,695,723 | $36,662,199 | $37,096,112 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 67.1% | 68.6% | 70.6% | 71.1% | 72.8% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 2.1% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 3.9% | 4.6% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $13,423,107 | $12,172,648 | $11,592,685 | $10,903,079 | $10,247,295 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $17,521,917 | $19,535,527 | $19,035,213 | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $28,969,349 | $34,290,335 | $34,299,324 | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $46,491,266 | $53,825,862 | $53,334,537 | $48,588,271 | $58,934,180 |
| Total net assets | $59,914,373 | $65,998,510 | $64,927,222 | $59,491,350 | $69,181,475 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
President
Uriah Y Kim
Uriah Y. Kim is the Ninth President of the GTU and Professor of Biblical Studies. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies from the GTU, and also holds an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, a ThM from Candler School of Theology of Emory University, and a BA in philosophy from New York University. He is the author of Decolonizing Josiah: Toward a Postcolonial Reading of the Deuteronomistic History (Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2005) and Identity and Loyalty in the David Story: A Postcolonial Reading (Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2008), and is co-editor of Handbook of Asian American Biblical Hermeneutics (T&T Clark, 2019).
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION
Board of directorsas of 01/31/2023
Board of directors data
Mr. William Glenn
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Contractors
Fiscal year endingGuideStar Pro Reports
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- Financial statements for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
- Letter of Determination
- Officer and/or Employee data for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017
- Contractor and/or Paid Preparer data for 2021, 2020, 2019
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