The Pension Boards

What The Pension Boards does

The Pension Boards-United Church of Christ, Inc. (PBUCC) is a nonprofit membership corporation and Affiliated Ministry of the United Church of Christ that administers pension, health, and welfare benefits for more than 22,000 active, inactive, and retired clergy and lay workers of the denomination. The organization manages over $3 billion in faith-aligned assets from its headquarters at 475 Riverside Drive, New York, and is governed by a Board of Trustees under President and CEO Brian Bodager. Its core offerings span the Lifetime Retirement Income Plan (a defined-contribution vehicle with employer and employee TSA contributions plus Basic and Participating annuities), four HIPAA-covered group health plans (UCC Medical, UCC Medicare Advantage with Rx, UCC Dental, and UCC Vision), life and disability insurance, and ministerial hardship assistance via the Christmas Fund.

The underlying technology stack centers on a web-based member portal (pbucc.org) and a dedicated employer portal (employers.pbucc.org), both secured by 256-bit TLS encryption and 7-digit Member ID authentication. As of September 1, 2023, accumulation-phase recordkeeping for the Lifetime Retirement Income Plan was transitioned to Fidelity Investments' NetBenefits platform, while annuity payouts continue to be administered in-house via Northern Trust. Investment management is governed by a Statement of Investment Policy with systematic exclusionary screening of U.S. firearms, gambling, tobacco, thermal coal, and tar sands industries, alongside custom proxy voting guidelines executed through ISS Governance's VDS platform.

PBUCC operates as a managed-services and subscription nonprofit: employer and employee contributions fund participant retirement accounts, health plan premiums cover medical and ancillary benefits, investment management fees and stewardship income support operations from the $3B+ portfolio, and charitable donations finance the Christmas Fund. Distribution is direct-to-member through UCC denominational affiliation and an in-house Member Services phone center (800.642.6543) supplemented by Fidelity-licensed Retirement Planners. The organization employs 11–50 staff, holds no external investor ownership, and does not publicly disclose plan pricing or contribution rates.

Name

The Pension Boards

Legal name

The Pension Boards-United Church of Christ, Inc.

Website

https://pbucc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Pension Boards-United Church of Christ, Inc. (PBUCC) is a nonprofit membership corporation administering pension, health, and welfare benefits for 22,000+ active, inactive, and retired UCC clergy and lay workers, managing over $3 billion in faith-aligned assets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Pension and Retirement Plan Administration Fees: Administers the Lifetime Retirement Income Plan (formerly the Annuity Plan for the UCC) and other pension arrangements. Employer and employee contributions fund participant accounts; recordkeeping transitioned to Fidelity Investments as of September 1, 2023 for accumulation-phase assets.
2. Health Benefits Plan Premiums: Administers UCC Medical Benefits Plan, UCC Medicare Advantage Plan with Rx, UCC Dental Benefits Plan, and UCC Vision Benefits Plan as a HIPAA-covered entity. Revenue derived from plan premiums and administrative fees.
3. Investment Management & Stewardship Income: Manages a portfolio of over $3 billion in assets across diversified investments aligned with faith-based values; investment returns support plan funding and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
4. Annuity Payouts & Lifetime Retirement Income: Issues Basic and Participating Annuities to annuitants; lifetime retirement income payments continue to be administered in-house (via Northern Trust) while accumulation-phase recordkeeping moved to Fidelity.
5. Donations and Christmas Fund Giving: Accepts charitable donations via online portal (christmasfund2026) to fund the Christmas Fund, which provides vital support grants to clergy and lay workers in financial hardship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Pension Boards-United Church of Christ, Inc. (PBUCC) is a nonprofit membership corporation that administers faith-aligned pension, health, welfare, and financial wellness benefits for authorized ministers and lay workers of the United Church of Christ. It operates the Lifetime Retirement Income Plan (a defined-contribution retirement plan with employer and employee Tax-Sheltered Annuity contributions plus Basic/Participating annuity payouts), group health plans (Medical, Dental, Vision, Medicare Advantage with Rx), life and disability insurance, ministerial hardship grants via the Christmas Fund, and faith-based investment management across a $3 billion+ portfolio with systematic ESG exclusionary screening and shareholder advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PBUCC Lifetime Retirement Income Plan: Retirement income plan (formerly known as the Annuity Plan for the United Church of Christ) for UCC clergy and lay workers; recordkeeping transitioned to Fidelity Investments in September 2023.
• UCC Medical and Dental Benefits Plan
• Christmas Fund

Products and services

• PBUCC Lifetime Retirement Income Plan Defined-contribution retirement plan for authorized UCC ministers and lay employees, accepting employer contributions and employee pre-tax Tax-Sheltered Annuity (TSA) contributions, with a Rollover Contribution Account and Basic/Participating annuity payout phases. Recordkeeping transitioned to Fidelity NetBenefits on September 1, 2023, while lifetime annuity payouts continue to be administered by Northern Trust for annuitized members.
• UCC Medical Benefits Plan Group health plan for UCC ministers and lay workers who are not eligible for Medicare, administered by PBUCC as a HIPAA-covered entity under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Plan design includes medical coverage, HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, and integration with the broader UCC benefits package.
• UCC Medicare Advantage Plan with Rx Group Medicare Advantage health plan with prescription drug coverage for individuals enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, administered by PBUCC as a HIPAA-covered entity subject to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Available to UCC retirees and eligible clergy/lay workers.
• UCC Dental Benefits Plan Group dental benefits plan sponsored by PBUCC and subject to HIPAA, providing dental coverage to UCC ministers, lay employees, and retirees as part of the comprehensive UCC health benefits package.
• UCC Vision Benefits Plan Group vision benefits plan administered by PBUCC and subject to HIPAA protections, providing vision coverage to UCC ministers, lay employees, and retirees.
• Christmas Fund Ministerial Assistance Grants Charitable grant program providing vital financial support to UCC-authorized ministers and lay workers experiencing financial hardship, funded by voluntary donations through the PBUCC donation portal. Grants assist with medical bills, daily living costs, and other emergency needs.
• ESG-Aligned Faith-Based Investment Management Investment management service applying the PBUCC Statement of Investment Policy across a $3 billion+ portfolio, including systematic exclusionary screening of U.S. firearms, gambling, tobacco, thermal coal, and tar sands industries, plus ESG-integrated proxy voting on environmental, social, and governance issues executed via the ISS Governance platform in coordination with ICCR shareholder advocacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• $3 billion+ in assets administered
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Northern TrustcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 November 2023Northern Trust continues to administer lifetime retirement income (annuity) payments to annuitized PBUCC members and issues 1099Rs for annuitized members following the Fidelity recordkeeping transition in 2023.
• Fidelity InvestmentsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Recordkeeping services for the PBUCC Lifetime Retirement Income Plan (formerly the Annuity Plan for the UCC) transitioned to Fidelity Investments effective September 1, 2023. Fidelity provides the NetBenefits® website and mobile app, licensed Retirement Planners for one-on-one consultations, RMD processing, 1099R issuance for accumulation-phase members, daily transactions, beneficiary management, and Spanish-language services. Investment options remain aligned with UCC values.
• Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989The UCC was a founding member of ICCR 41+ years ago; ICCR resides a few floors above PBUCC's New York offices. PBUCC interacts directly and through ICCR, which has 300+ faith-based members representing $110B+ in assets, to co-file shareholder resolutions, conduct corporate engagement on climate change, human rights, supply chain, and governance, and distribute work across member organizations. PBUCC is also part of the Investor Network on Climate Risk.
• CerescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for climate change shareholder advocacy; Ceres encourages investors to take action on climate and carbon asset risk through shareholder engagement, divestment, portfolio carbon intensity reduction, investing in climate solutions, and policy advocacy. PBUCC participates in the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR).
• AT&TminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSpecial discount program arranged through PBUCC's relationship with AT&T to provide member discounts on technology services.
• DellminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSpecial discount program arranged through PBUCC's relationship with Dell to provide member discounts on personal computing equipment.
• Middle East Ministries (UCC) / Peter MakariminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated mission partnership through UCC Middle East Ministries Director Peter Makari; PBUCC President/CEO Brian Bodager, Board Chair, and former CSR Director Rev. Richard Walters have traveled to the Middle East to meet with mission partners, encouraging policies benefiting the persons served by those missions.
• Tyson FoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPBUCC has engaged Tyson Foods and other poultry producers in the South, Arkansas, and Northwest regions around the treatment of workers in poultry factories and processing plants, including concerns around COVID protection for workers in immigrant communities with UCC congregations.
• ConocoPhillipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPBUCC co-filed a shareholder resolution with ecumenical partners challenging ConocoPhillips to disclose lobbying efforts regarding active opposition to environmental regulations. ConocoPhillips subsequently made an ongoing commitment to abandoning carbon reserves in the Amazon Basin, Western Canada, and Alaska without the free, informed consent of indigenous peoples.
• Statoil (Equinor)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDialogues with Statoil resulted in the closing of their Tar Sands operations in Alberta, Canada - a multi-billion dollar project - following shareholder advocacy by PBUCC and ICCR.
• Investor Environmental Health Network (IEHN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with IEHN in 2012 to release "Extracting the Facts: An Investor Guide to Disclosing Risks from Hydraulic Fracturing Operations" alongside 10 ICCR shareholder resolutions on hydraulic fracturing impacts.
• Bangladesh Accords on Supply Chain Worker RightsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPBUCC participates in the Bangladesh Accords on Supply Chain Worker Rights as part of ICCR-coordinated corporate engagement on apparel industry human rights.
• Rev. Dr. Jim Moos (Faith and Finance Ministries, United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerExecutive Director of Faith and Finance Ministries and the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance; collaborator on Fireside Chat Series content, ministerial assistance programming, and UCC faith-and-finance mission alignment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Church Pension Group: Provides retirement, health, and welfare benefits to clergy of the Episcopal Church. Directly comparable to PBUCC as a denominational, faith-affiliated benefits corporation administering pension and health plans for ordained and lay workers of a single U.S. denomination.
• Wespath Benefits and Investments: Administers pension, health, and welfare benefits for United Methodist Church clergy and lay employees. Closely comparable to PBUCC in mission, product mix (retirement + health), faith-aligned ESG investing, and denomination-affiliated governance.
• Portico Benefit Services (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America): ELCA-affiliated benefits provider offering retirement, health, and wellness programs to Lutheran ministers and lay workers. Direct comparable to PBUCC across both pension administration and group health benefits within a single mainline Protestant denomination.
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Board of Pensions: Provides retirement, health, and death/disability benefits to PCUSA ministers and church employees. Highly comparable to PBUCC as a faith-affiliated denominational benefits corporation with shared pension and health plan structure.
• American Baptist Churches USA Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board: Administers retirement and insurance benefits for American Baptist clergy, missionaries, and lay workers. Comparable to PBUCC in denominational affiliation, retirement plan structure, and faith-aligned mission.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Investments (Workplace Investing): Largest U.S. defined-contribution recordkeeper and current recordkeeping partner to PBUCC. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering retirement recordkeeping, plan administration, and managed investment products at national scale.
• TIAA: Major U.S. retirement and investment provider with deep roots in nonprofit, academic, and faith-based markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering defined-contribution, defined-benefit, and individual retirement products to mission-driven organizations.
• Vanguard (Institutional Retirement): Large low-cost retirement recordkeeper and asset manager serving plans across nonprofit, corporate, and faith-based segments. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering retirement plan administration and target-date fund investments.
• Voya Financial: U.S. retirement, employee benefits, and investment management firm with a focus on workplace benefits and tax-exempt markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving healthcare, education, and nonprofit plan sponsors with group benefits and retirement products.

Others

• ISS Governance (Institutional Shareholder Services): Provider of proxy voting guidelines, vote disclosure platforms, and corporate governance analytics used by PBUCC to execute its values-aligned shareholder advocacy. Comparable as a key technology/infrastructure partner enabling PBUCC's ESG and proxy voting program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PensionBoards
• YouTubeyoutube.com/PBUCC2010
• Facebookfacebook.com/pensionboardsucc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thepensionboards

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Pension Boards