Character Through Sports Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
883673579
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Pasadena, CA, USA
Phone
6263186428
Rating
58
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Support N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,616,650
Expenses
$966,926
Assets
$10,004,019
Liabilities
$150,800

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL HARRIGIAN (CEO/VICE PRESIDENT)
  • THOMAS GIMBEL (PRESIDENT/CHAIR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL HARRIGIAN (CEO/VICE PRESIDENT): $256,364 total reported compensation
  • ADRIAN BRIZUELA (CREATIVE DIRECTOR): $131,431 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To support high school sports to promote and cultivate the values of hard work, teamwork, sacrifice, and respect for others.

What it reported doing in 2025

Character through sports inc encourages participation in high school running sports (cross country and track & field) by producing video content of athletic competitions as well as behind the scenes mini-documentary style coverage of athletes and teams. The coverage is primarily focused on southern California but includes championship-level state and national competitions as well. All of the content created is posted to the organization's hdrunners youtube and social media channels, so it is available free for athletes, families, and fans of the sports. Athletes are excited to see themselves and their friends compete, and the coverage provides an avenue for top competitors to build awareness with college coaches should they wish to pursue participation beyond high school. The organization remains dedicated to covering athletes of all ability levels while also showcasing top athletes, teams and coaches who inspire through performance, dedication and teamwork.during 2025, the organization produced 37 live broadcasts of cross country and track meets, posted over 600 videos, as well as over 600 short-form videos on youtube. Youtube channel subscribers increased by 8,000 to almost 108,000. The content garnered almost 26 million views during 2025. In adition to youtube, the hdrunners instagram page has almost 40,000 followers and has proven a key way to build community and engagement with the youth demographic.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 40
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 60
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 15.6%; rating input score 16
  • Program expense ratio: 94.2%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 85.4%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.35; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 40.1%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 22.3% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.1% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 35.1% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 15.6% of revenue deployed · 94.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 3 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $910K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $256K · 4 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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: Mission deployment rate scored 16/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.