Cura Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
261150435
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2009
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2125844174
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Salvation Army

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$273,631
Expenses
$420,328
Assets
$207,989
Liabilities
$16,171

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR ROBIN L SMITH (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOSEPH TALAMO (TREASURER): $24,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Cura foundation (f/k/a stem for life foundation) is creating a movement to accelerate development of cell therapies and prevention tools which hold considerable promise to improve human health, increase quality of life, and enhance patient care. The cura foundation and its llcs are firmly committed to advancing cell therapy research and development throughout the world in order to accelerate cures and reduce human suffering.

What it reported doing in 2024

The foundation raises global awareness about disease prevention and cell therapy treatment and fosters a collaborative dialogue between scientists, regulatory agencies, ministers of health, patient advocates, physicians, ethicists, philanthropists, leaders of faith, government officials and industry personnel. The foundation also educates our next generation of thought leaders about the rapid innovation in cell therapy technology and the importance to interface with data to improve clinical outcomes and optimize health care spending. Its management, board and collaborators look for ways to speed clinical development and utilize big data and algorithmic learning to advance personalized medicines, so that patients can receive the best possible treatment for their individual diseases as quickly as possible, rationalizing healthcare dollar spent while improving clinical outcomes.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 95
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 16
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.1%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 56%; rating input score 56
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 27th 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -53.6%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.49; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.7%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.6% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.1% of revenue deployed · 56% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 2 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $235K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $24K · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.