Center for Mindful Self Compassion Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
474358886
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
5127902672
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Health - General and Rehabilitative N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,449,443
Expenses
$1,552,211
Assets
$577,198
Liabilities
$233,142

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ELIJAH ZIMMERMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KELIN WELBORN (EMPLOYEE): $121,000 total reported compensation
  • NATALIE BELL (EMPLOYEE): $109,384 total reported compensation
  • SAMIRA BOND (EMPLOYEE): $105,965 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to alleviate human suffering and enhance global well-being through the practice of self-compassion. We do this by offering accessible, flexible, and affordable self-compassion resources and training; supporting msc teachers through high-quality education and professional development; and promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all our activities. We collaborate with like-minded organizations, engage with key societal systems, foster a global community of practice, and encourage scientific research to deepen understanding and application of self-compassion.

What it reported doing in 2024

Professional training: the self-compassion in psychotherapy (scip) program addresses a crucial need within the therapeutic community. It identifies a gap in the integration of self-compassion practices into psychotherapy. The program is a response to the growing acknowledgment among psychotherapists of the importance of self-compassion for mental health and wellbeing. It aims to equip therapists who have benefited from mindful self-compassion (msc) practices with the skills to incorporate these principles into their clinical work. Furthermore, it seeks to support clinicians in using their personal mindfulness and compassion practices as a foundation for fostering effective therapeutic relationships and interventions. This initiative is also driven by the desire to offer a continuing education experience that is inclusive and welcoming to all identities and intersections of identity, addressing the call for greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in therapeutic practices.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 89% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 72.2%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 67.3%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.62 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -7.1%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.37; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 29.7%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 22.2% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 72.2% of revenue deployed · 67.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $121K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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 5/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 21/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.