Center for Cultural & Technical Interchange Btwn East & West Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
990161603
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Honolulu, HI, USA
Phone
8089447111
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Promotion of International Understanding

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$31,022,316
Expenses
$32,597,345
Assets
$57,787,256
Liabilities
$23,026,074

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

34 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SATU LIMAYE (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • SUZANNE VARES-LUM (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SUZANNE VARES-LUM (PRESIDENT): $529,025 total reported compensation
  • SATU LIMAYE (VICE PRESIDENT): $337,285 total reported compensation
  • TRACEY OMORI (TREASURER): $324,229 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Promote security, stability, and prosperity in america's indo-pacific backyard through policy engagement, influential networks, high-level convenings, and extensive partnerships.

What it reported doing in 2024

Other programs: other programs include east-west center in Washington, communications and external relations, pacific islands development program, and the auxiliary enterprise services. East-west center in Washington provides us and regional government stakeholders and program partners with innovative training, analytical anddialogue exchange, and public diplomacy products to meet us policy priorities and expressed needs in the indo-pacific region. It also continues the successful asia matters for america/america matters for asia initiative to organize and disseminate information, data, and analysis on u.s.-asia interactions. In fy 2025 the Washington office had 55 participants awards. Communications and external relations advances the center's mission through policy-relevant publications, convening events and briefings, and crossprogrammatic outreach and engagement projects. In fy 2025 it hosted activities such as the ongoing china seminar and arts outreach programs. The pacific islands development program serves the nations and peoples of the pacific through innovative capacity building, interchange among regional leaders, and policy-relevant research on priority issues. Pidp had approximately 75 participant awards for their activities including the pacific islands leadership program with taiwan. Auxiliary enterprises provide conference facilities and dormitory housing for students and conference participants that participate in the center's programs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 69% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 83% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 67%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $22.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Limited
    • Conducts field audits: Limited
    • May suspend future funding: Limited
    • Requires financial reports: Limited
    • Conducts site visits: Limited
    • Requires grant agreements: Limited
    • May require repayment: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th 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: -5.1%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.77; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.5%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.1% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.1% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73% of revenue deployed · 67% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $21.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $529K · 34 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.8M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 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: 13 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.

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

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 59/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.