Christodora Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
135562192
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2123715225
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Private Operating Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,290,134
Expenses
$2,608,317
Assets
$10,901,006
Liabilities
$440,065

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Pamela Manice (President)
  • Dilip Advani (Vice President)
  • Salma S Choudhury-Muro (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Salma S Choudhury-Muro (Executive Director): $169,740 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To encourage the positive academic and developmental growth of New York City youth through stimulating educational and challenging outdoor programs. 3x winner of Hi-Impact Award for Program Excellence

What it reported doing in 2024

Christodora's wilderness camp, Manice Education Center (MEC), located in the Hoosac mountain range of northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts, provides the main facility for programs in environmental education, wilderness immersion and development of social- emotional skills. MEC offers students between the ages of 11 and 18 a carefully constructed ladder of opportunities beginning with the one-week Introductory Course for sixth graders, proceeding to longer Foundation and Advanced courses, and cumulating with intensive High School Leadership Training and BRIDGE career readiness programs. Building on foundations of the "3 Rs" (positive risk-taking, respect and responsibility), students set goals, work on team projects, study ecology and leadership and master challenging backcountry adventures.Half of the staff are returning alumni, providing intensive small group support, and serving as powerful role models for success.MEC also hosts school groups for multi-day field trips during the fall and spring, often in connection with the in-classroom Winter Ecology Program (WEP).In 2024 the Organization provided scholarships to 154 attendees.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 62.5%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.98 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 95.7%; rating input score 96; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -102.2%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.18; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.5%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 62.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 23 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $170K · 23 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.