Sacramento Dharma Center
Overview
Mission
To create a sanctuary for meditation and Buddhas teachings, welcoming everyone who seeks to end suffering and live in harmony.
What it reported doing in 2025
We embrace the practice of mindfulness and the cultivation of generosity, ethical conduct, compassion, and wisdom. With the intention to benefit the whole community, we welcome everyone who seeks to end suffering and live in harmony.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The nonprofit carried out 100% of its reported program work directly.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 455199338
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2025
- Website reviewed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2015
- Headquarters
- Sacramento, CA, USA
- Rating
- 60
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Management & Technical Assistance
- Affiliation
- Buddhism
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 34
- Transparency & Controls: 70
- Accountability: 81
- Sustainability: 74
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 24.8%; rating input score 25
- Program expense ratio: 31.8%; rating input score 32
- Fundraising efficiency: $135.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
- Public monitoring controls: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Public policy transparency: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
- Public financial transparency: 0 of 5 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Impact reporting controls: 0 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Public relationship transparency: No; rating input score 0
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Public governance controls: 1 of 4 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Zakat policy transparency: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 24.9%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Operating reserve ratio: 7.88; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 24.8% of revenue deployed · 31.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $55K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 annual filings from 2012 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.