Camp Fire Alaska

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
920029613
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone
9072793551
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,293,019
Expenses
$7,708,944
Assets
$12,840,104
Liabilities
$1,074,129

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MELANIE HOOPER (CEO & PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MELANIE HOOPER (CEO & PRESIDENT): $203,090 total reported compensation
  • JENNY STUCKY (COO): $134,591 total reported compensation
  • JADEE DRAUGHN (CFO, JANUARY TO JUNE): $98,453 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Camp fire Alaska provides opportunities for youth to realize their full potential and to function as caring, self-directed individuals.

What it reported doing in 2025

Summer camping programs (program services: environmental and camp): camp fire Alaska's summer camps consist of camp k on kenai lake, camp fireweed day camp located in anchorage, rural Alaska program serving youth in communities across the state, and summer adventure camp offered at school sites in anchorage. These summer camps provide campers with opportunities to be outside, connect to nature, learn new skills, develop supportive relationships, and gain a sense of life that is larger than oneself. With the supportive guidance of caring adult counselors, campers build their own unique community. Summer camping programs are designed to increase self-awareness, positive values, social skills, acceptance, appreciation of personal identity, and a sense of belonging as well as increased knowledge of and appreciation for the natural world. These programs are unique in their offerings, and may include activities such as boating safety, cold-water safety, healthy life choices, nutrition, and dental care as well as recreational activities such as crafts, games, hikes, camp-outs, and youth community service projects. Scholarships are available for those that need financial assistance.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 63% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% 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: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 50
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.9%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 83.1%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.88 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: 7%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.67; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.5%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.9% of revenue deployed · 83.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $6.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $203K · 22 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 39 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 52/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 47/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.