Copperhead Charities Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
592319162
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Palm Harbor, FL, USA
Phone
7279425566
Rating
57
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Philanthropy, Voluntarism, and Grantmaking Foundations N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$18,260,364
Expenses
$18,664,988
Assets
$4,182,823
Liabilities
$2,025,875

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

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • TRACY WEST (TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR): $354,666 total reported compensation
  • AUSTIN MICHAEL KERN (SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE PARTNER): $292,810 total reported compensation
  • TRENT GERHART (SENIOR DIRECTOR): $165,505 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Provide aid to tampa bay area charities through fundraising events centered around professional golf.

What it reported doing in 2024

The 2025 valspar championship, tampa bay's pga tour event, generated charitable contributions of $1,641,416 for charity. The tournament's charitable initiatives come through the sponsoring organization, copperhead charities inc.copperhead charities has now generated over $52 million for charity since 1977 through the sponsorship of professional golf tournaments in the tampa bay area.(see continuation at schedule o.)the total includes money raised through ticket sales and other tournament proceeds. Approximately 90 area charities are benefiting from the 2025 tournament. Copperhead charities made many directed donations in 2025 with tampa general hospital, habitat for humanity of pinellas and west pasco counties, st. Petersburg college foundation, and area chapters of the first tee among the key charities benefiting.an independent economic impact study performed by the university of south Florida college of business, sport and entertainment management program and sportseconomics, llc, found that tournament activities translate to an annual economic impact of over $64 million to the tampa bay area.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 93% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 65% for direct work, and 35% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

MIXED - 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: 23
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 26.2%; rating input score 26
  • Program expense ratio: 25.5%; rating input score 25
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.1 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 90.3%; rating input score 90; 20th 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: -2.2%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.22; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.48; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.7%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 26.2% of revenue deployed · 25.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $355K · 26 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $575K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 55 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 50 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 26/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 25/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 1/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 5/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 45/100.