Santa Cruz Zen Center

Overview

Mission

The purpose of santa cruz zen center is to embody and communicate the teachings of buddha. Our understanding of the non-duality of wisdom, practice, and realization has been conveyed through the soto school. The center's focus is on integrating zen practice and everyday life.

What it reported doing in 2025

Twice daily meditation services offered free. Weekly meditation program and lectures offered free. Introduction classes and instruction.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
510163461
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Phone
8314570206
Rating
60
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Affiliation
Buddhism

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$162,309
Expenses
$114,133
Assets
$1,369,668
Liabilities
$1,958

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

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: 32
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 64
  • Sustainability: 78
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 27.1%; rating input score 27
  • Program expense ratio: 35.3%; rating input score 35
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 29.7%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 12; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 27.1% of revenue deployed · 35.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $40K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 17 of 17 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 12 annual filings from 2014 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 35/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 52/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

People named in this filing

  • JANE ARNY (DIRECTOR)
  • SHAKTI BELL (DIRECTOR)
  • ANITA MARIE ELLIOTT (VICE-PRESIDE)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025.