Dientes Community Dental Care

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770311752
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Phone
8314645420
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Ambulatory Health Center, Community Clinic

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$17,278,801
Expenses
$16,404,218
Assets
$23,466,127
Liabilities
$5,141,433

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LAURA MARCUS (CEO)
  • GARY BENCOMO (President)
  • MASINA HUNNICUTT (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • STEPIDEH TAGHVAEI (EXEC VP OF OPS): $309,658 total reported compensation
  • LAURA MARCUS (CEO): $298,637 total reported compensation
  • DAVID WISTROM (LEAD DENTIST): $244,224 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To create lasting oral health for the low-income children, adults, and seniors of santa cruz county and neighboring communities so that everyone has the dignity that comes from a healthy smile.

What it reported doing in 2024

Our mobile outreach program addresses transportation issues for santa cruz county residents at many venues including schools, skilled nursing facilities, senior centers, diabetes health center, rehabilitation centers, and shelters including our 1-chair clinic at housing matters. Our partnerships bring high-quality dental care to those who might not otherwise be able to receive care. We offer a wide variety of services at our outreach sites including preventative care, restorative care, oral surgery and removable prothodontics. In addition, our outreach program brings oral health education and promotion to residents of our county via presentations and tabling at local events such as the diabetes fair, school events and many more.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 79% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 42
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.1%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 82.8%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.1%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.43; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.1%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 78.1% of revenue deployed · 82.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $13.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $310K · 22 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $237K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 34/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.