Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina
Legal name: Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 237390313
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- North Charleston, SC, US
- Phone
- 843-723-3635
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Community Foundations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $46,328,098
- Expenses
- $40,582,009
- Assets
- $435,574,394
- Liabilities
- $9,257,882
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
28 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DARRIN GOSS (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- DARRIN GOSS (CEO): $400,983 total reported compensation
- JANE LITZ (CFO): $253,321 total reported compensation
- MELISSA LEVESQUE (CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER): $220,157 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 inspire and support philanthropy to improve the quality of life in coastal South Carolina.
What it reported doing in 2024
Strategic initiatives include 1) the foundation's scholarship programs awarded 192 scholarships totaling $833k, expanding access to higher education across the region; 2) the catalyst grant program provided $2.4m in funding with a $4.3m future multi-year commitment, to nonprofits in beaufort, colleton, hampton, and jasper counties to advance collaboration, build strategic capacity, and drive community innovation. Grants support initiatives with measurable impact through partnerships, organizational strengthening, and solutions that address local needs for up to five years. Some grantees may also receive expert technical assistance throughout the grant term to enhance effectiveness and sustainability; 3) the place-based impact investment initiative deployed nearly $1.4m into lifting affordable housing, small business lending, and physical and mental well-being.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 60% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 86% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filed totals do not add up and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 83
- Transparency & Controls: 75
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 78
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 87.9%; rating input score 88
- Program expense ratio: 82%; rating input score 82
- Fundraising efficiency: $23.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Limited
- Conducts field audits: Limited
- May suspend future funding: Limited
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Limited
- Requires grant agreements: Limited
- May require repayment: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 97.7%; rating input score 98; 28th 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; 66th 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: 12.4%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.73; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 12 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 87.9% of revenue deployed · 82% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $33.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $401K · 28 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 40 of 41 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 467 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 456 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 — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 59/100.