Central Mesa Incorporated

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
861215370
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Bristol, VT, USA
Phone
6469329963
Rating
56
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Personal Social Services

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,681,034
Expenses
$2,962,675
Assets
$8,494,238
Liabilities
$5,157

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

Leadership & pay

2 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Deanna Downes (Director): $75,000 total reported compensation
  • Geryll Robinson (Chair): $70,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of Central Mesa is to steward land in Afro-Indigenous traditions which includes providing a land space for BIPOC artists, evolutionaries and their families to find rest and rejuvenation by being in close relationship to land.

What it reported doing in 2024

The 2024 accomplishments for Central Mesa include hosting a visual artist residency for Rosemary Reyes, co- producing a world premiere performance at The Apollo, and making several sustainability upgrades such as purchasing a Rivian electric vehicle and installing solar panels. The organization also invested in property renovations, hired a mobility teacher, launched a wellness fund for its board, and expanded its art collection with significant acquisitions, including works by Scherezade Garcia, Richard Mayhew, Elizabeth Catlett, and Emmanuel Gillespie. Art sponsor including tuition room and board for Cooper Union Art student from New Orleans Hosted Reparations Mystery School Retreat Sept 2023

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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

MIXED - Program spending has grown recently and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 51
  • Transparency & Controls: 58
  • Accountability: 43
  • Sustainability: 83
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 39.2%; rating input score 39
  • Program expense ratio: 87.4%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 55.7%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.87; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.9%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 89.4% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 31.9% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 44.6% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 39.2% of revenue deployed · 87.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 4 board members independent · 3 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 2 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 24 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 39/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.