Center for Inquiry Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
161553469
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2014
Forms available
Form 990 2014
Location
Amherst, NY, USA
Phone
7166367571
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Private Grantmaking Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,435,986
Expenses
$5,023,795
Assets
$2,622,918
Liabilities
$1,335,196

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RONALD LINDSAY (PRESIDENT, CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • RONALD LINDSAY (PRESIDENT, CEO): $96,374 total reported compensation
  • BARRY KARR (CFO, TREASURER): $88,342 total reported compensation
  • THOMAS FLYNN (SECRETARY): $66,182 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To sponsor programs and activities that advance humanism and skepticism and to support the activities and purposes of the center for inquiry development fund, council for secular humanism, inc. And committee for skeptical inquiry, inc.

What it reported doing in 2014

Regional offices/locations program: professionally-staffed offices (center for inquiry) in selected cities carry out aspects of our national agenda germane to certain locations, such as outreach to the entertainment industry in los angeles, and government outreach in Washington d.c. In addition, each regional center provides educational and social programming for interested individuals residing within several hours' drive of the facility, including lectures, seminars, social gatherings, opportunities to celebrate life milestones, and the like.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 79% for direct work, and 21% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 47
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.8%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 84.5%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.14 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 17th 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: Fail
    • 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: 7.6%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.52; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.51; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.1% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -4.2% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.8% of revenue deployed · 84.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $96K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2010 to 2014
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 6 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 36/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 46/100.