Dawson Community Empowerment Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
208475818
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Saint Marys, GA, USA
Phone
9128829383
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$372,985
Expenses
$343,573
Assets
$3,130,780
Liabilities
$2,171,960

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BYRON DAWSON (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • BYRON DAWSON (PRESIDENT): $19,000 total reported compensation
  • ANITRA DAWSON (SECRETARY): $12,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To empower individuals and communities through education, financial literacy, scholarship programs, advocacy, and community outreach initiatives designed to increase economic opportunity, promote self-sufficiency, and improve the quality of life for underserved populations.

What it reported doing in 2025

Dawson community empowerment center, inc. Continued its mission of empowering underserved individuals and families through educational, community, and economic development initiatives during 2025. The organization provided community outreach, educational resources, and supportive services designed to improve the quality of life for individuals in the communities it serves. Program activities included community engagement events, youth and family support initiatives, educational assistance, and efforts to promote financial awareness and self-sufficiency. The organization also collaborated with community partners, volunteers, and local leaders to identify needs and provide resources to individuals and families facing economic and social challenges. Through these efforts, the organization continued to advance its charitable and educational purposes by providing programs and services aimed at strengthening the community and expanding access to opportunity.

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 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: 40
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 72
  • Sustainability: 55
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 44.2%; rating input score 44
  • Program expense ratio: 48%; rating input score 48
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.9%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.11; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.69; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 44.2% of revenue deployed · 48% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 3 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $165K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $19K · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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 44/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 48/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.