Ministry Spotlight: Grove City College

Strong rankings and fundraising gains come alongside a D grade for financial transparency.

Grove City College, a highly ranked, private liberal arts school, saw a sharp jump in revenue in 2024, but its 2025 Form 990 shows the ministry has returned to its previous financial trend.

The Chapel on the quad at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of Grove City College

Revenue was $122 million in 2023, jumped to $178.5 million in 2024, then fell back to $124.5 million in 2025.

Nick Hildebrand, director of college communications, provided a statement on these changes: “The increased revenue in 2024 was largely the result of increased fundraising from the College’s Impact 150 campaign and a large estate gift from alumnus David R. Rathburn ’79.

“Fundraising is crucial to Grove City College surviving and thriving,” he continued. “The College accepts no federal funding and relies on tuition, the generosity of a large and committed base of supporters, and wise stewardship of its resources to deliver an academically excellent, affordable, and Christ-centered living and learning experience for students. Keeping tuition affordable requires an enormous amount of support from private individuals and donor-advised funds.”

Founded in 1876 and located an hour north of Pittsburgh, Grove City College believes “students should live in an environment that will cultivate and strengthen their beliefs,” and pushes its student body to place Christ at the center of “academic inquiry, scholarship, and achievement.”

The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and routinely ranked among the best colleges and universities by Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report and others. Consumers Digest calls Grove City College a Top Value, and Money magazine lists it among the Best Schools for Your Money. Young America’s Foundation lists the college among the Top Conservative Schools in the country, and it is also designated a Christian College of Distinction.

Hildebrand also noted that “the College has seen consistent, year-over-year increases in fundraising, a signal of growing support and validation of our commitment to academic freedom and institutional autonomy in an era of uncertainty and chaos in the higher education space.”

Jeffrey Prokovich, vice president for advancement, said, “We have been blessed by the support of thousands of individuals who love the College and what it does and want to invest in its future, not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of students today and generations in the future. We are eternally grateful.”

Grove City College has a D Transparency Grade — it files a Form 990 but does not post audited financial statements and is not a member of the ECFA.

While the College does publicly file an updated Form 990 each year, its MinistryWatch scores still place it into the “Exercise Caution” category due to low Financial Efficiency and Transparency scores.

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Audited financial statements carry significant weight in the Transparency Grade because they are prepared by an independent accounting firm, giving donors and the public greater assurance that the numbers reported by management are accurate.

Membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is also weighted heavily because ECFA members publicly commit to uphold the “Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship.”

There is no perfect way to measure financial accountability and transparency for Christian ministries, but these are among the factors MinistryWatch prioritizes to give donors confidence.

MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score: 51 (out of a possible 100) “Exercise Caution”

MinistryWatch Financial Efficiency Rating: 2 Stars (out of a possible 5 Stars)

MinistryWatch Transparency Grade: D

ECFA Member? No

Revenue in Most Recent Year Available: $124,522,482

Five-Year Revenue Trend: Increasing (by about 50%)

Percent of Revenue Spent on Fundraising: 3%

Percent of Revenue Peer Group Spends on Fundraising: 2%

CEO/President: Paul J. McNulty

President’s Salary and Other Compensation: $447,185

A complete MinistryWatch profile for Grove City College can be found here.