Dharma Ocean
Legal name: Dharma Ocean Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 202417344
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2025
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Boulder, CO, USA
- Phone
- 8773427629
- Rating
- 64
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Buddhism
- Affiliation
- Buddhism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $187,764
- Expenses
- $301,642
- Assets
- $3,062,902
- Liabilities
- $102,451
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
3 people listed
People named in this filing
- CAROLINE PFOHL (SPIRITUAL DI)
- GEORGE HARRIS (SECRETARY)
- JAKE LA BOTZ (BOARD PRESID)
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
To study and practice the teachings of the “practicing lineage,” to transmit the view and the step-by-step path to realization, and to make the lineage fully accessible in the present world (including a greater emphasis on embodiment and direct experience). We have found that those drawn to practice with us are those who are looking for a complete practice path, one that can provide the structure, the connection, and the map to bring meditative wisdom into all corners of their lives and profit from everything we go through as steps toward our own deepest fulfillment. While the path of meditation in this lineage can be challenging, at the same time many have found it deeply rewarding, something that can provide training and support necessary to genuinely transform their lives. Essence of the Lineage.
What it reported doing in 2025
Ongoing performance of educational programs which serve to provide instruction in meditation practices and dharma teachings as presented by chogyam trungpa rinpoche and somatic meditation practices of meditating with the body and other bodies of teaching as presendted by reginald a. Ray. Hosted various programs and events at retreat center and online for the purpose of providing ongoing opportunities to teach and practice the above-mentioned education.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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 total spending goes to programs and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 49
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 39
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.1%; rating input score 64
- Program expense ratio: 39.9%; rating input score 40
- 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: 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: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -60.6%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.15; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -11.2% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -7.3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -3.6% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 64.1% of revenue deployed · 39.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $120K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
- Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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: Program expense ratio scored 40/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.