California Thoroughbred Breeders Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
951682276
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Arcadia, CA, USA
Phone
6264457800
Rating confidence
Limited

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,147,053
Expenses
$2,133,191
Assets
$11,894,872
Liabilities
$5,342,567

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DOUG BURGE (CEO & GM)

Highest reported compensation

  • DOUG BURGE (CEO & GM): $293,711 total reported compensation
  • THOMAS RETCHLESS (CONTROLLER): $118,509 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To create an environment of education for the membership so as to bring about the betterment of the conditions for those involved in the agricultural production of California-bred thoroughbreds; to assist in all ways appropriate, including legislatively, to maximize the quality and profitability of the product of the members and the efficiency of their operation; and to enhance all economic conditions related to the growth and vitality of the thoroughbred industry in California.

What it reported doing in 2025

Registration of thoroughbred horses in California & incentive awards: thoroughbred horses that are registered are eligible for incentive awards funded through pari-mutual wagering on authorized races mostly conducted or produced in California. As the recognized registering agency, the association collects and distributes various incentive awards to thoroughbred breeders and owners of California-bred thoroughbreds and California based stallions. The association also conducts an annual auction of thoroughbreds, for which it receives entry fees and a commission from the sale of horses.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 83% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 73.8%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.58; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.45; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.3%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $294K · 15 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.9M reported
  • Consistency: 13 of 13 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.