Hope College 
The information on this page was last updated 2/25/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Hope College is a four-year liberal arts college where academic excellence and vibrant Christian faith join together in a supportive and welcoming community.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Hope College
P.O. Box 9000
Holland, MI 49422
Website: hope.edu
Phone: 616.395.7000
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 381381271
CEO/President: Matthew Scogin
Chairman: Brett VanderKamp
Board size: 25
Founder: A.C. Van Raalte
Ruling year: 1938
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
Our vision is to bring more hope to the world through education marked by curiosity, generosity and community.
Our mission commits us to train ambassadors of hope and send them out to lead and serve the world. Equipping students to be hope-bringers requires more than just passion, personal growth and career preparation; it demands a world-class learning environment that shapes the mind, body and spirit.
Our hope is not in ourselves, but in God's faithfulness, demonstrated in Jesus Christ. Even in the midst of difficulty, God is at work in us and the world. Our intellectual pursuit is inspired by Jesus, who is the embodiment of truth. Through the pursuit of truth, we are equipped to serve others and become ambassadors of hope, taking our place in a continuous link that spans generations.
Jesus changed the world in unexpected ways, and as a college community that follows Him, we aspire to do the same.
Mission statement
The mission of Hope College is to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith.
Statement of faith
Articles
| 1/30/2026 | Creation Research Institute, No Longer Bound Rise in Financial Efficiency, Donor Confidence |
Donor confidence score
Show donor confidence score details
To understand our donor confidence score, click here.
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Colleges/Universities
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 793 of 1420 | 88 of 155 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 879 of 1420 | 100 of 155 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 470 of 1420 | 30 of 155 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 938 of 1421 | 118 of 155 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $5,718,517 in government grants in 2025.
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 13% | 16% | 24% | 22% | 19% | 10% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 15% | 13% | 10% | 10% | 13% | 19% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 2% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 85% | 87% | 90% | 90% | 87% | 81% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 88% | 89% | 90% | 89% | 90% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 96% | 105% | 106% | 103% | 94% | 88% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 81% | 92% | 95% | 93% | 84% | 79% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 4% | -5% | -6% | -3% | 6% | 12% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | -2% | -2% | -1% | 2% | 4% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 10% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 8% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.53 | 0.37 | 0.36 | 0.34 | 0.32 | 0.28 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.73 | 3.25 | 3.52 | 3.34 | 3.26 | 2.95 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.45 | 1.19 | 1.25 | 1.12 | 1.04 | 0.83 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 8.18 | 21.49 | 14.92 | 17.37 | 14.64 | 13.91 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.12 | 0.05 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.07 | 0.07 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.96 | 9.64 | 8.95 | 10.06 | 10.72 | 13.37 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 20% | 8% | 9% | 9% | 11% | 12% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 10% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 148% | 251% | 256% | 269% | 279% | 313% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $24,928,883 | $28,568,665 | $30,912,525 | $44,145,001 | $45,736,712 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $15,600,557 | $15,344,423 | $22,045,727 | $23,208,823 | $28,984,905 |
| Short-term investments | $138,086,421 | $117,251,836 | $113,475,367 | $101,819,141 | $122,328,838 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $178,615,861 | $161,164,924 | $166,433,619 | $169,172,965 | $197,050,455 |
| Long-term investments | $193,326,153 | $194,196,680 | $178,650,337 | $171,850,546 | $172,837,997 |
| Fixed assets | $208,361,222 | $211,910,254 | $211,579,179 | $210,163,843 | $210,667,078 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $401,687,375 | $406,106,934 | $390,229,516 | $382,014,389 | $383,505,075 |
| Total assets | $580,303,236 | $567,271,858 | $556,663,135 | $551,187,354 | $580,555,530 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $8,310,642 | $10,801,777 | $9,580,087 | $11,276,516 | $13,767,457 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $275,519 | $395,759 |
| Total current liabilities | $8,310,642 | $10,801,777 | $9,580,087 | $11,552,035 | $14,163,216 |
| Debt | $27,268,100 | $27,899,481 | $28,510,000 | $29,085,000 | $31,535,000 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $12,563,692 | $11,847,616 | $14,202,452 | $17,757,144 | $21,496,544 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $39,831,792 | $39,747,097 | $42,712,452 | $46,842,144 | $53,031,544 |
| Total liabilities | $48,142,434 | $50,548,874 | $52,292,539 | $58,394,179 | $67,194,760 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $232,140,289 | $234,232,083 | $237,834,148 | $233,303,383 | $235,295,259 |
| With donor restrictions | $300,020,513 | $282,490,901 | $266,536,448 | $259,489,792 | $278,065,511 |
| Net assets | $532,160,802 | $516,722,984 | $504,370,596 | $492,793,175 | $513,360,770 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $25,465,355 | $18,227,508 | $17,909,562 | $24,291,385 | $35,570,514 |
| Program service revenue | $166,763,223 | $159,258,848 | $151,353,838 | $142,220,228 | $135,140,990 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $7,410,158 | $9,333,397 | $11,266,701 | $21,124,715 | $16,348,429 |
| Other revenue | $2,415,153 | $2,548,004 | $1,139,944 | $876,169 | ($82,097) |
| Total other revenue | $176,588,534 | $171,140,249 | $163,760,483 | $164,221,112 | $151,407,322 |
| Total revenue | $202,053,889 | $189,367,757 | $181,670,045 | $188,512,497 | $186,977,836 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $186,634,998 | $180,431,019 | $169,054,369 | $157,552,702 | $147,038,505 |
| Management and general | $21,239,810 | $16,803,831 | $14,100,661 | $14,273,197 | $13,635,003 |
| Fundraising | $4,144,247 | $4,365,483 | $4,016,697 | $4,659,416 | $3,427,575 |
| Total expenses | $212,019,055 | $201,600,333 | $187,171,727 | $176,485,315 | $164,101,083 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($9,965,166) | ($12,232,576) | ($5,501,682) | $12,027,182 | $22,876,753 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($9,965,166) | ($12,232,576) | ($5,501,682) | $12,027,182 | $22,876,753 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Matthew Scogin | President | $422,568 |
| Gerald D Griffin | Provost | $314,891 |
| Thomas Bylsma | VP For Finance/CFO | $277,861 |
| William Vanderbilt | Chief Philanthropy Officer - Former | $255,793 |
| Rebekah Starkenburg | VP For Student Formation | $241,245 |
| Stacy Jackson | Faculty | $230,927 |
| Aaron Best | Faculty | $226,843 |
| Nathan Haveman | VP of Admissions | $217,193 |
| Carl Heidemen | Dir. of Process/Innovation | $207,516 |
| Brian Porter | Faculty | $203,030 |
| Sonja Trent Brown | VP - Culture/Inclusive Excellence | $200,838 |
| Todd Steen | Faculty | $192,996 |
| Alexander Jones | VP - Philanthropy & Engagement | $180,398 |
| Robert A Anderson | VP of Philanthropy - Part Year | $176,485 |
| Dr Steven McMullen | Trustee/Faculty | $131,420 |
| Dr Jeanne Petit | Trustee/Faculty | $118,531 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2025
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 2/25/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Nestled in the heart of downtown Holland, just miles from stunning Lake Michigan, is the historic campus of Hope College. Created with a focus on academic excellence and rooted in the Christian faith, Hope has a prominent and unified history with the city.
Although officially chartered in 1866, Hope College began its journey in October 1851 with the creation of the Holland colony's Pioneer School. With support from the Reformed Church in America, Rev. A.C. Van Raalte started the school with the desire to create an educational experience for Holland children that was rooted in Christian character - an option not guaranteed through state-funded schooling. As educational needs progressed, the school evolved into the Holland Academy and later into the college.
However, before the Pioneer School could open, it needed a building.
Van Raalte had built an orphanage on 12th street, where Western Theological Seminary now stands, in 1850. (After settling in West Michigan, the hard winters had taken a toll on the colony and left many children parentless.) By the time the Pioneer School opened, the orphanage was no longer in use, as the surviving colonists had taken in the orphaned children. Van Raalte repurposed the orphanage, and the building acted in many educational capacities until it was destroyed by a fire in 1889.
In 1857, Van Vleck Hall was built. It still stands at the center of the college campus. As Hope's oldest building, Van Vleck Hall was essentially the entire campus at the time of construction. It housed students, the college's first president, the library and classrooms.
The solid construction of Van Vleck Hall is one of the reasons the building, along with Pillar Church, survived the Great Fire of 1871, which wiped out much of the community.
In the fall semester of 1862, Hope College enrolled its first freshman class of 10 men. The college received its charter from the State of Michigan in May of 1866 and graduated its first eight seniors two months later. Women were admitted to the college in 1878.
While the college suffered through some lean years, it eventually experienced an enrollment boom after World War II. With servicemen returning on the GI Bill, enrollment spiked from about 550 students to 1,374 by 1947. At this point, Hope College began to build upon the campus and academics to create the influential college it is today.