California Creativity Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
330860160
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Diego, CA, USA
Phone
8588647172
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Student Services, Organizations of Students

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$474,779
Expenses
$466,523
Assets
$122,664
Liabilities
$62,185

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Richard Pinney (Executive Director/Co-Affiliate Director)

People named in this filing

  • Richard Pinney (Executive Director/Co-Affiliate Director)
  • Genee McMahon (Co-Affiliate Director)
  • Dan Smith (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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Using STEAM Team Challenges, social-emotional learning and project-based learning, CA Creativity Association teaches K-12 children problem-solving and critical thinking skills. These skills better prepare students to be successful in their lives and in the future.

What it reported doing in 2024

TOURNAMENTS - As part of any educational process there needs to be an evaluation of learning accomplished by the participants. Tournaments are held throughout CA providing an evaluation for both the team's level of learning and their project-based solutions. The best of the teams in each Region advance to the State Finals - an event attended by over 2,500 people. The winners are then invited to attend Global Finals, an event attended by over 1,000 teams from 20+ countries. CA Creativity supports the CA Teams going to Global Finals.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 67% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 89% 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.

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: 95
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 71
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95.2%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 96.9%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: $253.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 93; 93rd 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: 71.4%; rating input score 71; 19th 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: 1.7%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.26; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.51; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 25.2% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 27.1% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 95.2% of revenue deployed · 96.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 14 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $452K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.