Drikung Kagyu Foundation USA

Legal name: Drikung Kagyu Foundation USA Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
462214426
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2021
Location
Asheville, NC, United States
Phone
914-309-7030
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Buddhism
Affiliation
Buddhism

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$198,526
Expenses
$111,348
Assets
$829,855
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Drikung Kyabgon Chestang Rinpoche (President)

People named in this filing

  • Hun Lye (Executive Dir.)
  • Chris Mauze (Director)
  • Drikung Kyabgon Chestang Rinpoche (President)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To support the development and growth of the Buddha’s teachings in the Americas. Founded in 2013 in the United States, Drikung Kagyu Foundation (USA) is a US federally-registered, 501(c)(3), non-profit organization for the support the development and growth of the Buddha’s teachings in the Americas. In particular, our foundation is focussed on supporting the spiritual and educational activities of His Holiness Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang, one of the two current heads of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The Drikung Chetsang lineage of reincarnate-lamas is known as one of the main human embodiments of Avalokiteśvara (the buddha of compassion) in the Tibetan Buddhist world. Since escaping from occupied Tibet in 1975, His Holiness has selflessly dedicated his life.

What it reported doing in 2024

To facilitate worship and provide spiritual and cultural educational programs for followers of the teachings of the Buddha. Expenditures relate to starting a new monastery.

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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 58
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 64
  • Sustainability: 85
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 50.7%; rating input score 51
  • Program expense ratio: 90.5%; rating input score 90
  • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 43.9%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.45; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 35.1% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29.2% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 50.7% of revenue deployed · 90.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $101K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 51/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.