Coast Guard Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042899862
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Stonington, CT, USA
Phone
8605350786
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Military, Veterans' Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$17,300,171
Expenses
$12,613,370
Assets
$29,724,913
Liabilities
$2,029,110

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

Leadership & pay

92 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SUSAN LUDWIG (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SUSAN LUDWIG (PRESIDENT): $425,582 total reported compensation
  • BRAD SISLEY (CHIEF PHILANTHROPY OFFICER): $272,591 total reported compensation
  • RON LABREC (CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER): $233,837 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 coast guard foundation: - supports coast guard members through education, morale, wellness, and recognition programs that honor their service to america. - empowers coast guard spouses with grants to help them achieve college degrees or professional certifications, giving them personal fulfillment and boosting the family's financial stability. - invests in coast guard children through scholarships that make the dream of college and technical school a reality, enrichment grants that help them attend camps, and comprehensive education support for those who have lost a coast guard parent in the line of duty during an operational mishap. - assists coast guard families through tragedy assistance when a coast guard member is injured or dies in the line of duty or when a family member dies, and emergency relief when they suffer a significant loss during a natural disaster.

What it reported doing in 2025

Education is essential to a strong future for the coast guard community, but the rising costs of school and other barriers make it inaccessible to many. We help make higher education possible through various initiatives including scholarships for children of active duty, retired, or active reserve members; 100% coverage of higher education for children of coast guard members who die in operational, line of duty service; and, professional development opportunities for coast guard members and their spouses. We also provide support grants to the u.s. Coast guard academy, a top-tier educational institution training the future leaders of the coast guard.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 91% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 68% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 95
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 53.8%; rating input score 54
  • Program expense ratio: 66.9%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.6%; rating input score 97; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 27.1%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.36; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.5%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 53.8% of revenue deployed · 66.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 28 of 29 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $8.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $426K · 92 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $708K reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 15 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 54/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.