Camp Bighorn Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
810513584
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Plains, MT, USA
Phone
8883160367
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Christianity
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,332,723
Expenses
$1,177,036
Assets
$1,724,878
Liabilities
$106,850

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRIAN MEADEN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • BRIAN MEADEN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $89,200 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 embody the love of jesus and develop honoring leaders. Our vision is to be the regional leader in outdoor ministry for our neighbors, those in need, and the next generation so that all people would care for creation depply, serve others selflessly, and love god abundantly.

What it reported doing in 2025

Venture and community programs: the venture program at camp bighorn partners with local youth homes, therapeutic agencies, and community organizations to bring character development and christ-centered relational experiences into an outdoor adventure context. Through guided activities such as ropes courses, hiking, river excursions, and team-based challenges, participants are invited to engage with one another in ways that promote healthy communication, positive relationship-building, and critical thinking in real-world settings. The program's design intentionally moves beyond stereotypes and invites youth to see their identity, choices, and relationships through a lens of dignity, worth, and hope as revealed in the gospel of jesus christ. By situating learning in the natural world and combining adventure with intentional reflection, venture fosters personal growth, resilience, and spiritual formation in middle and high school participants.camp bighorn offers a variety of year-round community programs that extend the ministry's mission beyond traditional overnight camps and retreats, serving children, families, and the wider community through experiential learning and discipleship.wild child: a spring seasonal program for elementary-aged students that invites children to explore nature, build outdoor skills, and grow in confidence through hands-on experiences like fire-making, shelter-building, compass use, and campfire cooking. The program emphasizes outdoor exploration as a way for children to discover their abilities, connect with god's creation, and develop curiosity and resilience.climbing team: designed for elementary and middle school participants, the climbing team provides structured coaching in climbing techniques, safety, and physical challenges while fostering community, teamwork, and personal confidence. This program creates a fun, supportive environment where climbers of all skill levels can grow physically, socially, and relationally.community outreach & other programs: in addition to wild child and the climbing team, camp bighorn engages in broader community outreach efforts - including partnerships with local schools, youth groups, and service initiatives - to promote healthy development, outdoor engagement, and spiritual encouragement outside of traditional camp sessions.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% 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: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 54
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.7%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 87.8%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.7%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.47; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.6%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.7% of revenue deployed · 87.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $89K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 59/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.