A Foundation You Can Build On
Trust and stewardship. That’s the basis for everything you’re doing. Donors trust you with their dollars and their intentions. We help you honor both, from the moment a gift arrives to the day it funds someone's future.
The Life of a Donor Dollar
Every gift travels the same path through your foundation, and every stage of it is a test. Is it coded correctly, with the right restrictions attached? While you hold it, is it invested well, and is the correct share of investment return allocated to it? On the way out, is it spent the way the donor meant it to be?
But what happens when a gift stops moving? Funds can sit unused even when there are opportunities to put them to work. Who is identifying those funds and making sure they’re used in a way that fulfills the donor’s wishes?
Hold that chain together and you can demonstrate stewardship, year after year, to the people deciding where their next gift goes. That chain is what we help clients oversee. Keeping that chain intact, and proving it holds, is the whole of our foundation work.
60+ years in business. 50+ years serving higher education. Foundation clients from $20 million to $3 billion.
This Is Not a Sliver of Our Practice
Few firms have real higher education practices, and most that do are built to audit the university itself. Foundations and fundraising organizations are one of our two pillars. Collegiate athletics is the other.
We're not learning as we go.
In any given week, we're weighing whether a foundation can accept a $30 million gift given the conditions attached to it, or working through the steps to transfer certain endowments to a different 501(c)(3). This is the work, every day.
We've sat on your side of the table.
We’ve served as state college foundations CFOs, both in-house and in an outsourced capacity. So, we know how gift agreements actually enter a system, how investment allocations get calculated, how departments request funds, and where the process tends to break.
We hear about issues before they reach you.
Through NACUBO and constant conversation with higher ed CFOs, controllers and advancement leaders, we catch emerging issues early and bring peer perspective back to you.
We publish and present year-round.
On donor restrictions and restricted fund use, endowment and alternative investment tax reporting, GASB and FASB developments, and whatever else is landing on foundation finance teams that quarter.
What It's Like to Work With Us
High-touch service is a choice we’ve made. Here's what ours looks like in practice.
Your call goes directly to a partner.
Not an operator, not a message taken. Someone who already knows what's happening at your foundation and why your question matters, with the knowledge to give you the right answer, not just an answer.
The same people, year after year.
Real partner involvement and consistent teams, so you're not re-explaining your foundation every fall.
A cadence you set.
Some clients want scheduled meetings; some prefer ad hoc, when something comes up. Either works.
Plain English, and early communication.
Issues are flagged while they're still small, with recommendations you can actually put in place.
Independent by decision.
A lot of CPA firms have taken private equity money or merged into something larger. We haven't. We've watched quality slip when firms go that route and start churning through people and processes, and we'd rather stay the size where the partner you hired is still the partner you get.
If you want the cheapest option, we'll tell you honestly that we're not your best fit. We’re built for foundations that want an advisor they can call with any question, from the small ones to the one that’s been keeping your board awake at night.
Let’s Talk About Your Foundation
Whether you have a specific challenge or simply want a second perspective, our higher education team is ready to help. Tell us what’s on your mind and we’ll connect you with a foundation specialist who understands the work.
Measurably Better
We make life easier for entities across the country that share your challenges. We serve:
100+ Higher Education-Related Entities Nationwide
40+ College and University Foundations
Institutions in nearly 30 states
Foundations with endowments up to $3B
Ideas and Resources for College & University Foundations
Balancing Philanthropy and Family Legacy: Helping Donors Achieve Both
For college and university foundations, the most consequential donor conversations are about legacy, not generosity….
When a Transformational Gift Threatens Your Public Charity Status: Understanding the Public Support Test
For university foundations, affiliated support entities and other nonprofit organizations in higher education, maintaining public…
Public-Private Partnerships in Higher Education: A Decision Guide for CFOs and Trustees
The pitch sounds familiar: Accelerate delivery, transfer risk and preserve borrowing capacity. Public-private partnerships (or…
When Staffing Isn’t the Real Problem: Why Modernizing Finance Systems Must Come First
Across higher education, nonprofit and affiliated organizations, finance leaders are confronting a familiar dilemma: too…
Solving the Staffing Challenges in Higher Ed Finance
The financial stakes in higher education have never been higher. Donors want more transparency, boards…
GASB 103 and 104: What Higher Education Institutions Need to Know
In 2024, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) issued two significant standards that will impact…
New IRS Technical Guides: Key Insights for Higher Education
In June 2025, the IRS published three new Exempt Organizations Technical Guides (TGs) that update…
Future-Proofing College Athletics: How Advancement Can Bridge the Gap
The landscape in college athletics is undergoing seismic change. With the House v. NCAA settlement…
Planned Giving Via Externally Managed Trusts: Balancing Donor Intent with Foundation Policy
In the realm of higher education philanthropy, substantial donor contributions are pivotal in advancing institutional…
Foreign Gift and Contract Reporting in Higher Education: Navigating New Challenges
Recent legislative changes and growing scrutiny have made foreign gift and contract reporting more relevant…
Ken Kurdziel, CPA
Partner
Ken has nearly 30 years of experience providing accounting, auditing and consulting services. He also contributes to the firm’s strategic planning and implementation of tactical items and oversees the daily administration of the office.As a key member of the firm’s Higher Education Services Team and a noted thought leader in the industry, Ken does a great deal of work with university related entities such as foundations, athletic associations and booster organizations. His efforts drive strategic business development activities and new trends in higher education and university related nonprofit organizations. His experience with auditing their investments, his understanding of their fundraising processes and his knowledge of agreed-upon procedures and internal controls makes him a valuable resource for our clients in that industry. And as co-host of our firm’s News & Brews Sports Biz podcast, he advocates for the financial voices in collegiate athletics and discusses the latest developments in the business of college sports.
Ken is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the College Athletic Business Management Association, and the National Association of College and University Business Officers. He is a past president of the FICPA Chapter of North Central Florida. He also generously gives back to the community through his involvement with United Way of North Central Florida (where he previously served as Board Finance Chair).
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