Camp Beech Cliff

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
010502563
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Mt Desert, ME, USA
Phone
2072440365
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Camps

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,475,500
Expenses
$2,722,619
Assets
$45,770,272
Liabilities
$69,950

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • DEBRA DEAL (EXECUTIVE DI): $132,107 total reported compensation
  • KRISTINA LANTHEAUME (TREASURER, F): $15,385 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Through summer camps and year-round outdoor education, leadership and recreation programs, camp beech cliff mdi seeks to enrich the lives of people of all ages. Our mission is to inspire personal growth, interpersonal connection, and a deep appreciation of the natural world.

What it reported doing in 2025

Our flagship program is a traditional Maine outdoor day camp offering nine structured program areas: arts & crafts, archery, boating (canoeing, sailing, kayaking), challenge course (low & high ropes), nature, outdoor living skills, performing arts, sports & games, and swimming (instructional & recreational). We promote a balance between the active and the creative, with a strong emphasis on being outdoors. We want every child to enjoy being active outdoors, discover new talents, learn skills that will serve them for a lifetime, make lasting friendships, and appreciate our beautiful natural setting on mount desert island. Our campers come from all kinds of backgrounds. 60% are residents of mdi and other hancock county towns; 40% are visitors from other states and abroad.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 75.9%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th 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: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 21.7%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 16.81; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.4%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.4% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 95% of revenue deployed · 75.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $132K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.