Amigos De Santa Cruz Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
912155843
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
3605676940
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,308,585
Expenses
$1,014,816
Assets
$1,291,517
Liabilities
$4,348

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVINA RATCLIFFE (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • KAREN BARTH (SECRETARY)
  • LEE BEAL (TREASURER)
  • SANTOS CANEL (BOARD MEMBER)

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. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of amigos de santa cruz is to improve the lives of the indigenous people of santa cruz la laguna and surrounding villages through support for education and sustainable economic empowerment. Founded in 1998, amigos focuses on this one small corner of the world to help break the generational cycle of poverty. Amigos is a small organization that has a history of accomplishments, and an excellent relationship of respect and trust among the communities we work with. Our support for education in all its forms is playing a critical role in the transformation of this small corner of the world. Young people are growing up healthier, better educated, and more aware of their responsibility as citizens. They are taking a more active role helping to improve their community. They will have fewer children, their economic opportunities will be greater, education will be a priority for their children, and they will be much more actively engaged in community issues than their parents ever we

What it reported doing in 2025

Vocational programs with leadership and input from the local community, amigos opened cecap (centro de capacitacion / training center) in 2010. Each year, over 300 adults and youth take part in vocational training programs in cecap that include sewing, beading, weaving, carpentry, welding, computation, and culinary arts, among others. We run two social enterprise businesses connected to cecap that provide work opportunities to our students and income for the organization. Manos crucenas is an artisan store selling beautiful local handicrafts. Restaurant sabor cruceno is a graduate-run restaurant serving traditional guatemalan cuisine that is a favorite of travelers to lake atitlan.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 95% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 67
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66.4%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 84.9%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.66 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 22.4%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.27; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66.4% of revenue deployed · 84.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $862K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 47/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.