Dharma Gates
Legal name: Dharma Gates Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 844831330
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2021
- Location
- Cold Spring, NY, USA
- Phone
- 7348815533
- Rating
- 66
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Education N.E.C.
- Affiliation
- Buddhism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $662,983
- Expenses
- $331,889
- Assets
- $399,349
- Liabilities
- $2,159
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- AARON STRYKER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- BO-MI CHOI (BOARD PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- AARON STRYKER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $27,191 total reported compensation
- NICHOLAS ANTONELLIS (SECRETARY TREASURER): $20,109 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Dharma Gates is a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to opening pathways into formal meditation practice for young adults, connecting practitioners with Buddhist teachers and practice centers and eliminating conceptual, logistical, and financial barriers to practice. We support people ages 18-35 to explore immersive retreats with experienced teachers across Buddhist lineages. Summoned by the Earth Summoned by the Earth. The purpose of meditation is not just to benefit an individual, nor is it most effective when practiced alone. We offer spaces in which participants can connect both informally and through relational practices (such as circling). For those that are inspired, we support participants to take these practices further by connecting Dharma Gates community members, Buddhist teachers, and practice centers across the United States and abroad. Tapping into the broader community of...
What it reported doing in 2024
Newsletter. We offer a monthly newsletter and membership via email, phone, zoom collating and offerings and other practice resources for our audience. Total estimated cost: $2,400 total people impacted 9600
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 100% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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: 43
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Accountability: 62
- Sustainability: 69
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 28%; rating input score 28
- Program expense ratio: 55.9%; rating input score 56
- Fundraising efficiency: $43.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 75; 75th 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: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 49.9%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.2; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 14.3%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 83.3% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 84.5% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 28% of revenue deployed · 55.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $186K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $27K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 28/100.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 56/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.