Cruces Creatives

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
815340614
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2018, Form 990-N 2017
Location
Las Cruces, NM, USA
Phone
5754481072
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$789,884
Expenses
$762,928
Assets
$368,324
Liabilities
$78,069

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LEA WISE-SURGUY (PRESIDENT& ED)
  • JON SIMMONS (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • LEA WISE-SURGUY (PRESIDENT& ED): $29,836 total reported compensation
  • PATRICK DESIMIO (Secretary): $27,194 total reported compensation
  • JON SIMMONS (Vice President): $17,658 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 cruces creatives, a 501(c)(3) makerspace, is to foster economic development, further education, support the arts, protect the environment, strengthen social connections, and advance science and technology by 1)connecting people with the tools, training, and community to make practically anything and 2)using the tools and skillsets gathered at the makerspace to launch interdisciplinary charitable projects.

What it reported doing in 2024

Sustainability programs-cruces creatives supports multiple programs related to sustainability, including the seeding regenerative agriculture project, which organized peer-to-peer knowledge sharing for farmers and ranchers and coordinated support services including grant writing, custom technology development, and microlending; research with dr david johnson, a molecular biologist who investigates the potential of plant-microbe symbioses to offer environmental benefits while improving the profitability of farms and ranches; improvinbg food security and foster economic development to preserve local produce; and fabricating and using multiple machines for small-scale plastic recycling.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 84% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

STRONG - 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: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 77
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.3%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 89.4%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $50.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.4%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.48; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.8%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 24.5% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 31.2% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 39.6% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.3% of revenue deployed · 89.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 4 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $682K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $30K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.