Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
386061238
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Augusta, MI, USA
Phone
2697314471
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,528,976
Expenses
$1,064,678
Assets
$9,193,052
Liabilities
$53,956

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANGELA GRAHAM (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • TARA EAST (EXECUTIVE DI): $95,245 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The cheff therapeutic riding center was incorporated january 29, 1960, as a Michigan non-profit corporation. The purpose of the organization is to improve lives through the therapeutic use of horses. The organization opened in 1970 as the united states' first therapeutic riding center built specifically to serve the disabled. The cheff center focuses on what individuals can accomplish, not on their limitations. Participation is available to riders of all ages and abilities. Cheff center clients include: at-risk children, mentally and emotionally impaired, sight or hearing impaired, down syndrome, ms/md/cerebral palsy, autistic/learning disabled, cystic fibrosis/cancer/brain injuries, add/adhd, and other disabilities.

What it reported doing in 2025

Therapeutic riding - year-round riding classes. Therapeutic riding challenges individuals to achieve and improve physically and mentally. The benefits include: "increased muscle strength "improved confidence; increased self-esteem "increased balance and mobility "ability to stay on task; focused "increased range of motion "behavioral improvements

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 70% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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 most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 49
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 48.7%; rating input score 49
  • Program expense ratio: 58.6%; rating input score 59
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.04 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th 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; 78th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 30.4%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.63; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.9%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 48.7% of revenue deployed · 58.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $624K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $95K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 49/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 16/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.