Canstruction Houston

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
473917418
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2018–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2024
Location
Houston, TX, USA
Phone
7135221054
Rating
96
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Food Banks, Pantries

Reported finances

Revenue
$83,698
Expenses
$85,287
Assets
$3,334
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Carla Curtis-Galyean (President)
  • Stephanie Tabor (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Carla Curtis-Galyean (President)
  • Stephanie Tabor (Vice President)
  • Thomas Niedzwicki (Treasurer)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

To produce a unique competition and food drive in which Houston-area architects, engineers, construction firms, and students build creative and ingenious Cansculptures from canned food and other non-perishable items. All items are then donated to the Houston Food Bank to benefit the less fortunate throughout the greater Houston area.

What it reported doing in 2025

Canstruction is a design/build competition showcasing the talents of design and construction industry professionals and students they mentor. Each year, teams are given just nine hours to defy expectations, logic, and gravity as they build fantastic Cansculptures from thousands of cans of food. Driven by the knowledge that their Cansculptures will change lives by lifting the spirits of those in need, by raising public awareness, and most importantly, by filling the shelves of local food banks dedicated volunteers in a variety of categories bring their creations to life. During the next week, the super-sized masterpieces are judged in a variety of categories as these unconventional art exhibits are opened to the public, the cost of admission is just one can of food. At the end of the event, all food is donated to the local Houston Food Bank.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 86% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 100
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 99.4%; rating input score 99

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.9%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.04; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -5% per year; rating input score 0; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 99.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $85K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2018 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 39/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.