Columbia Play Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
853637110
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2021
Location
Vancouver, WA, USA
Phone
3607988768
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$357,382
Expenses
$422,868
Assets
$155,436
Liabilities
$27,888

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JEANNE BENNETT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • CATHERINE DIAZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • CATHERINE DIAZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $27,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Columbia play project provides inclusive spaces and programs for the young and young-at-heart to have shared play experiences that inspire them to discover their passions.

What it reported doing in 2025

Pop-up museum: columbia play project's pop-up museum delivers mobile, hands-on stream (science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math) experiences to children and families across clark county. Programming is hosted at schools, community events, libraries, and partner sites, increasing access to high-quality learning experiences. Activities include construction play, art-making, science exploration, and collaborative problem-solving designed to support early childhood development and caregiver-child interaction. In 2025 cpp expanded the reach of its mobile programming, serving diverse communities through both free and fee-for-service events and strengthening partnerships with local organizations.

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 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.

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: 36
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 17
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 33.3%; rating input score 33
  • Program expense ratio: 28.1%; rating input score 28
  • Fundraising efficiency: $53.76 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -18.3%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.37; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.5%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 31.9% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 28.9% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 33.3% of revenue deployed · 28.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $119K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $28K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 33/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.