Education (B11) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

THE TOWER FOUNDATION OF SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY

EIN: 83-0403915 · SAN JOSE, CA 95192-1000 · United States · FY 2023 Data

3 out of 5 58 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 84/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 88/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2023 · Scored 9/13/2026

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Mission Statement

The Tower Foundation of San José State University serves as the university’s philanthropic partner, committed to stewarding gifts and managing endowments that advance SJSU’s mission of academic excellence, student success, and innovation. The Foundation ensures that every gift is used effectively to maximize its impact on students, faculty, research, and campus programs.

Financial Overview — FY 2023

$28.5M

Total Revenue

$26.7M

Total Expenses

$250.8M

Net Assets

601

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 81.4%

Fundraising Efficiency N/A

Operating Reserve 112.84x

Liability-to-Asset 16.4%

Revenue Diversification 58.3%

Compared with Peers

FY 2023

Compared with 3,577 similar organizations (United States, Education, $10M–$100M in expenses), FY 2023.

This organization Middle half of peers (P25–P75) Peer median

Ratio	This org	Peer median	Position (P10 → P90)
Program expense ratio Program expenses / total expenses · higher is better	81.4%	84.4%	P10P90	Below median
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	18.6%	13.5%	P10P90	Below median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	0.0%	0.7%	P10P90	Top quarter
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	112.8 mo	10.9 mo	P10P90	Top quarter
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	16.4%	34.2%	P10P90	Above median
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	58.3%	87.3%	P10P90	Top quarter
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	-12.3%	4.8%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	17.6%	8.5%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	6.6%	2.7%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2023	$28.5M	$26.7M	$250.8M	81.4%	601
2022	$32.6M	$22.7M	$233.7M	84.9%	135
2021	$64.4M	$23.1M	N/A	—	540

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Organization Details

EIN: 83-0403915
State: CA
City: SAN JOSE
ZIP: 95192-1000
Classification: B11
Category: Education
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 2004
Foundation Code: 15
Form 990: On File

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CharityAI™ rates charities from 0 to 100 using public filings (IRS Form 990 and the equivalent registries outside the US) together with the information the charity itself provides on DonationX. Ratings are recalculated every quarter, without human bias, and shown as stars.

Four pillars

Financial strength30%

Program expense ratio, fundraising efficiency, operating reserves, liabilities and revenue diversification, compared with similar organizations.

Reliability20%

Standing with the registry, filing history, verification and how complete the profile is.

Effectiveness25%

How much goes to programs and how consistently the organization delivers them.

Impact25%

The outcomes the charity reports on DonationX: people served, cost per service and results.

Stars

★★★★★ 80–100 ★★★★☆ 60–79 ★★★☆☆ 40–59 ★★☆☆☆ 20–39 ★☆☆☆☆ 1–19

A pillar with no data counts as zero. Without impact metrics the score is capped at 59 (three stars): only the charity can supply that data.
The coverage grade (A to D) says how much filing data the score rests on; NONE means there is not enough to rate.
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"Compared with peers" places the charity's key ratios against organizations of the same country, sector and size.

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