American Baptist College 
The information on this page was last updated 7/2/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Preparing diverse students for leadership, services, and social justice in a dynamic learning environment.
Contact information
Mailing address:
American Baptist College
1800 Baptist World Center Drive
Nashville, TN 37207
Website: abcnash.edu
Phone: 615.256.1463
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 620485724
CEO/President: Derrick Jackson
Chairman: Dennie Marshall
Board size: 19
Founder:
Ruling year: 2015
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
American Baptist College's vision is to provide education opportunities for gifted students who have limited academic experiences and resources, but unlimited potential for leadership in society.
Mission statement
The mission of American Baptist College, a Historically Black College with a liberal arts emphasis, is to educate, graduate, and prepare diverse students for Christian leadership, service, and social justice in the world.
Statement of faith
The American Baptist College (ABC) institutional creed honors the image of God in all persons (Genesis (1:27). The mission of ABC highlights the institutional priority of educating students about the ministry, teaching, and love ethic of Jesus as it relates to Christian service and social justice in the world. The diversity, potentiality, and gifts each person brings as faculty, staff, and students enrich our academic community.
The teaching philosophy at American Baptist College aims to help students develop a rigorous spirit of curiosity that connects a biblical worldview to theories of anthropology, sociology, and theology (the liberal arts) in support of student Christian formation and praxis. It also aims to promote community and inclusion and cultivate lifelong learning habits through continuous self-reflection and evaluation. To accomplish these aims, ABC "Educate to Liberate" (body, mind, spirit) to help students grow ethically and spiritually by expanding their biblical and theological worldview, the vision of justice, equity, advocacy, and leadership (Isaiah 61; Luke 4:18) to build their analytical, interpretative skills and practices in both Christian faith communities and the broader society.
ABC is grounded in the biblical worldview as refracted through the Christianity of the Black Church tradition, which is, in turn, grounded as broadly and consistently understood in the Nicene Creed and the mainstream of the protestant Christian tradition. Therefore, under the guidance and authority of the Word of God in Scripture (John 1:1), our academic integrity depends on consistently applying biblical truths of justice, love, salvation, reconciliation, and the principles of God's kingdom, "beloved community."
Thus, ABC's educational mission aims to help students be biblically and theologically sufficiently informed to effectively dialogue and engage religious belief systems, worldviews, selfidentification, and cultural orientations that form and shape the world. ABC believes in justice for all and supports the rights of every person to pursue their vocational development for participation in building a just society. ABC's academic programs foster critical thinking, individuality, and freedom for all to become all God intends for their gifts and the expression of their best selves.
Thus, in the College's mission to offer academic quality, ABC's commitment to families, students, and other communities is grounded in the biblical worldview of justice, love, and spiritual and social transformation. We believe that the biblical values of Christian salvation, personal transformation, justice, and love are inextricably linked to the Nicene Creed and the ABHE tenets of Faith, theologically and contextually applied to the Black Church Christian tradition.
Additionally, ABC believes that the "dignity and divinity" with which God has endowed all persons contributes to student success and that student success contributes to a better, healthier, and more ethical and enlightened progressive society.
Donor confidence score
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Transparency grade
D
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Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Colleges/Universities
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 590 of 1412 | 71 of 155 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 23 of 1412 | 6 of 155 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 1401 of 1412 | 154 of 155 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 511 of 1413 | 61 of 155 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $4,071,776 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% | 0% | 11% | 9% | 6% | 9% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 0% | 10% | 7% | 6% | 7% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 15% | 53% | 83% | 82% | 95% | 75% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 0% | 10% | 7% | 8% | 8% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 85% | 47% | 17% | 18% | 5% | 25% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 36% | 49% | 33% | 40% | 56% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 96% | 86% | 99% | 113% | 78% | 86% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 81% | 31% | 49% | 37% | 31% | 48% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 4% | 14% | 1% | -13% | 22% | 14% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | 16% | 1% | -14% | 23% | 13% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 64% | 41% | 60% | 53% | 36% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.53 | 0.60 | 0.55 | 0.70 | 0.55 | 0.41 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.73 | 2.31 | 3.15 | 3.42 | 2.72 | 2.46 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.45 | 1.38 | 1.72 | 2.39 | 1.50 | 1.01 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 8.18 | 2.43 | 2.94 | 3.45 | 6.89 | 2.35 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.12 | 0.41 | 0.34 | 0.29 | 0.15 | 0.42 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.96 | 5.11 | 4.59 | 3.56 | 6.83 | 6.80 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 20% | 43% | 44% | 42% | 35% | 49% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 10% | 20% | 29% | 29% | 30% | 32% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 148% | 96% | 102% | 83% | 117% | 124% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $2,036,482 | $496,483 | $267,921 | $1,142,825 | $873,446 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $208,733 | $618,208 | $0 | $537,961 | $809,570 |
| Short-term investments | $3,244,959 | $2,349,560 | $2,618,414 | $2,431,608 | $2,723,484 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $5,490,174 | $3,464,251 | $2,886,335 | $4,112,394 | $4,406,500 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $7,187,184 | $7,460,347 | $6,976,286 | $7,065,072 | $6,450,133 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $1,692 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $7,187,184 | $7,460,347 | $6,977,978 | $7,065,072 | $6,450,133 |
| Total assets | $12,677,358 | $10,924,598 | $9,864,313 | $11,177,466 | $10,856,633 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $377,396 | $483,435 | $397,215 | $345,905 | $1,620,791 |
| Other current liabilities | $1,885,951 | $696,061 | $439,217 | $251,153 | $251,153 |
| Total current liabilities | $2,263,347 | $1,179,496 | $836,432 | $597,058 | $1,871,944 |
| Debt | $2,575,686 | $3,181,723 | $2,845,989 | $3,326,995 | $3,430,588 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $558,450 | $484,020 | $419,020 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $3,134,136 | $3,665,743 | $3,265,009 | $3,326,995 | $3,430,588 |
| Total liabilities | $5,397,483 | $4,845,239 | $4,101,441 | $3,924,053 | $5,302,532 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $4,768,396 | $4,178,450 | $3,757,761 | $5,251,943 | $3,301,471 |
| With donor restrictions | $2,511,479 | $1,900,909 | $2,005,111 | $2,001,470 | $2,252,630 |
| Net assets | $7,279,875 | $6,079,359 | $5,762,872 | $7,253,413 | $5,554,101 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $4,677,637 | $5,000,676 | $5,035,516 | $7,515,769 | $3,898,938 |
| Program service revenue | $589,387 | $826,140 | $724,109 | $719,195 | $912,396 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $3,490,659 | ($10,739) | $76,846 | ($358,747) | $397,561 |
| Other revenue | $21,077 | $215,192 | $292,646 | $0 | ($25,665) |
| Total other revenue | $4,101,123 | $1,030,593 | $1,093,601 | $360,448 | $1,284,292 |
| Total revenue | $8,778,760 | $6,031,269 | $6,129,117 | $7,876,217 | $5,183,230 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $2,719,537 | $2,926,214 | $2,291,405 | $2,453,588 | $2,503,727 |
| Management and general | $4,858,707 | $2,469,669 | $4,164,914 | $3,253,144 | $1,609,988 |
| Fundraising | $0 | $574,238 | $456,163 | $470,173 | $358,361 |
| Total expenses | $7,578,244 | $5,970,121 | $6,912,482 | $6,176,905 | $4,472,076 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $1,200,516 | $61,148 | ($783,365) | $1,699,312 | $711,154 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $1,200,516 | $61,148 | ($783,365) | $1,699,312 | $711,154 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Forrest E Harris Sr Dmin | President | $162,560 |
| Phyllis Dk Hildreth Jd | VP Strat & Acad | $114,046 |
| Richard Jackson Jd | EVP Legal | $111,760 |
| Mrs Donnetta Butler | Director | $91,667 |
| Febbie Dickson | VP Acad. Aff | $86,012 |
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 7/2/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
American Baptist College, located in Nashville, Tennessee, on a campus affectionately known as "The Holy Hill," opened its doors in 1924 as American Baptist Theological Seminary. Founded through an unprecedented collaboration between the all-Black National Baptist Convention USA and the all-White Southern Baptist Convention for the purpose of educating rural Black clergy for leadership in their communities, the school has grown over the years into a spiritual and social incubator for students dedicated to making positive change.
https://abcnash.edu/about/history/