Sakya Tsechen Association Inc

Overview

Mission

To promote Tibetan Buddhist religion, education, language and culture.

What it reported doing in 2024

Buddhists Teachings & Prayers Services Members of this Association are first generation Tibetan immigrants and are mostly Buddhists traditionally. Teachings and seminars are organized throughout the year to provide continuous buddhist learning. The teachings are given by monks of the Sakya Order, which is one of the four major Tibetan Buddhist Traditions that dated back in 1073AD, and are supervised by Sakya Trizin the present head of the Sakya Order. The Association also provide various religious services on request. These religious ceremonies are deeply ingrained in the Tibetan tradition. The observances are conducted by, and in conjunction with, Tsechen Kunchab Ling, the affiliate main monastery in Walden, NY, Palden Sakya Center and Vikramasila Foundation in New York City. These seminars and religious ceremonies were attended by about 4000 people during the year and open free to the public. There are about 450 volunteers who help to carry the functions of these events.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 98% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The nonprofit carried out 100% of its reported program work directly.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
464079608
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Woodside, NY, USA
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Buddhism
Affiliation
Buddhism

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports that some governance safeguards are missing and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 58
  • Sustainability: 68
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.3%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 94.4%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited
  • Public monitoring controls: Limited
  • Public policy transparency: Limited
  • Public financial transparency: Limited
  • Impact reporting controls: Limited
  • Public relationship transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 0 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Public governance controls: Limited
  • Zakat policy transparency: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9.3%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Operating reserve ratio: 14.05; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.3% of revenue deployed · 94.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 0 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $112K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 17 of 17 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 annual filings from 2014 to 2024
  • 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.