Backcountry Santa Inc Back
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 920958603
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2022–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2022
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Phone
- 8012146372
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Human Service Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $327,696
- Expenses
- $346,487
- Assets
- $83,542
- Liabilities
- $5,803
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
1 person listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MICHAEL J HUISH (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- MICHAEL J HUISH (PRESIDENT)
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 corporation is organized and shall be operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes, all within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code. All references in these articles to provisions of the internal revenue code are to the provisions of the internal revenue code of 1986, as amended, and to the corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws. Backcountry santa is a group of volunteer pilots that fly necessities to members of the navajo nation in southern Utah and northern Arizona. We also fly other missions to support native american communities on an as-needed basis. Pilots throughout the intermountain west (Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado) with an interest in backcountry flying support our efforts. Our pilots volunteer their time and aircraft.
What it reported doing in 2025
Backcountry santa and it's group of volunteer pilots flew numerous mission flights delivering more than 161,420 worth of goods & necessities to members of the navajo nation in southern Utah and northern Arizona. We also flew other missions to support native american communities on an as-needed basis in 2025. Pilots throughout the intermountain west (Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado) with an interest in backcountry flew in support of our efforts.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 89
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 52
- Sustainability: 26
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 99.4%; rating input score 99
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 23rd 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: -5.7%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.24; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 20.9% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 28.9% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 99.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $344K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 1 people listed
- Consistency: 15 of 15 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 25/100.