Visit California
Legal name: California Travel and Tourism Commission
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 680408095
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Jun 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Sacramento, CA, USA
- Phone
- 9164444429
- Rating confidence
- Limited
- Sector
- Chambers of Commerce & Business Leagues
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $150,710,747
- Expenses
- $160,973,200
- Assets
- $86,281,644
- Liabilities
- $43,471,712
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
46 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CAROLINE BETETA-WHITNEY (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- CAROLINE BETETA-WHITNEY (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $2,385,803 total reported compensation
- MATTHEW SABATINNI-DILEGAME (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $999,746 total reported compensation
- LYNN CARPENTER (SVP OF MARKETING): $877,767 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
As a nonprofit organization, Visit California’s mission is to develop and maintain marketing programs—in partnership with the state’s travel industry—that inspire travel to, and within, California. As a nonprofit organization, at Visit California, our mission is to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry – that inspire travel to, and within, California. We work hard to promote and market California as a premier tourist destination. From the mountains to the beaches, the redwoods to the deserts and from our metropolitan cities to our unique small towns, we see it as our job to inspire travel to this amazing state, one visitor at a time. We’re excited that you’re considering a Golden State vacation and are glad you visited our website to begin planning. We hope you find your inspiration, information and the links to help make your vacatio.
What it reported doing in 2024
California is the premier travel destination in the united states, attracting 269.5 million visitors in 2024. In 2024, the state's travel industry generated $157.3 billion in revenue for state businesses, $12.6 billion in local and state taxes and employed 1.2 million californians. Visit California began operation in 1998 as a coalition of travel industry interests with the objective of developing marketing programs that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 92% 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: 100
- Sustainability: 18
- 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; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -6.8%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.54; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.5; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.1%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 11.1% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
- Governance: 30 of 30 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
- Leadership: top reported pay $2.4M · 46 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $112.7M reported
- Consistency: 14 of 14 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 12 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
- 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 scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.