Cultural Heritage Center of Southwest Florida Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
821261132
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Punta Gorda, FL, USA
Phone
8133449674
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,015,344
Expenses
$807,868
Assets
$233,333
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Jaha Cummings (President)
  • Pearl Cruz (Vice President Dir of Cultural Aff)

People named in this filing

  • Jaha Cummings (President)
  • Pearl Cruz (Vice President Dir of Cultural Aff)
  • Martha Bireda PhD (Treasurer)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of the Cultural Heritage Center of Southwest Florida Inc. DBA Blanchard House Institute is to revitalize underinvested communities by preserving and promoting cultural heritage. Through education heritage tourism historic preservation and strategic public-private-philanthropic partnerships the Institute empowers communities to turn their unique stories and assets into opportunities for economic renewal and long-term prosperity.

What it reported doing in 2025

Creating a national portfolio of economic and cultural trails through supporting community-led projects using asset-based community development. BHI also supported the National Trust for Historic Preservations efforts to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Route 66 and collaborated with the National Park Service to promote heritage tourism historic preservation and economic revitalization across the American Heartland. These projects are part of a growing national movement to create public-private-philanthropic partnerships that through the use of a mixed capital stack catalyze sustainable economic revitalization of underinvested communities across the country. Leveraging an asset-based community development approach these efforts empower local elected officials and residents to preserve cultural heritage promote tourism and drive inclusive economic growth. Notably BHI provided support for cultural preservation and economic development efforts in Eatonville Florida-one of the oldest Black-incorporated municipalities in the United States-helping to position it as a model for heritage-driven revitalization statewide. This work is aligned with the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026 and the 100th anniversary of the American Dream in 2031.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 74% 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 46
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 47.5%; rating input score 47
  • Program expense ratio: 59.6%; rating input score 60
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 85.8%; rating input score 86; 40th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 20.4%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.29; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 44.1% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 68.2% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -7.8% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 47.5% of revenue deployed · 59.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $481K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 43 of 44 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 47/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.