City of Refuge Goodlife Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
842642900
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Columbus, OH, USA
Phone
6143388338
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$504,108
Expenses
$514,251
Assets
$73,175
Liabilities
$57,500

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Ted V Murdaugh Jr (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Ted V Murdaugh Jr (Executive Director): $115,050 total reported compensation
  • Jacqueline Flemming (Program Director): $40,930 total reported compensation
  • Michelle Sutton (Program Manager): $28,818 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 City of Refuge GoodLife Foundation is to serve our local community by providing knowledge, skills and resources to help them achieve a better life for themselves and for their families. We accomplish our mission in four (4) targeted areas. They are 1) Workforce Development, 2) Infant Mortality and Maternal Health, 3) Youth training, development & mentoring and 4) Networking with like-minded organizations and solution providers to create and scale the level of programming and successful outcomes.

What it reported doing in 2024

He City of Refuge GoodLife Foundation Summer Enrichment Program was developed to provide children ages 8-13 with a safe, supportive, and engaging environment during the summer months while promoting both academic advancement and personal growth. In Fiscal Year 2025, the program was strategically redesigned to address documented gaps in math proficiency and reading comprehension identified by the Ohio Department of Education among public school students. To effectively meet these needs, the Foundation partnered with experienced educational organizations and instructors who specialize in improving outcomes in these critical subject areas. This ensured that learning was both impactful and engaging. The program delivered a dynamic, hands-on curriculum centered on Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). Through project-based learning, participants were challenged to think critically, solve problems creatively, and apply new knowledge in meaningful ways. Graduate students from The Ohio State University, serving through the See Brilliance organization, played a pivotal role in delivering instruction and mentoring participants throughout the program. In addition to academic support, the program emphasized literacy development and character building. Strategic partnerships provided instruction in reading comprehension, positive behavior, and respect for others, helping students strengthen both their academic skills and social-emotional development. By the program's conclusion, participants demonstrated measurable growth across core subject areas and successfully completed culminating projects that showcased their learning outcomes. To further enrich the experience, the program incorporated educational field trips designed to expand students' exposure and reinforce classroom learning. Destinations included the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, the Ohio Statehouse, COSI Science Center, GYM Skills Recreation Center, and United Skates. These experiences combined education and recreation, creating memorable and impactful learning opportunities. Through its intentional design and strong community partnerships, the Summer Enrichment Program successfully fostered academic improvement, built confidence, and promoted positive youth development-helping participants return to school better prepared for success.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 71% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.2%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 82.5%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.14; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.79; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 34.6%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 19.9% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -10% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84.2% of revenue deployed · 82.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $424K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $115K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 19 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 7/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.