Fiscal Challenge Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
472061726
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Phone
9102735953
Rating
38
Verdict
REVIEW
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Reported finances

Revenue
$200,304
Expenses
$157,998
Assets
$110,491
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

2 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Mike Aguilar (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Erica Patella (Program Director): $16,816 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Fiscal Challenge Inc. provides experiential educational programming focused on fiscal policy economics budgeting and public policy analysis. Through a nationwide collegiate competition students develop analytical research presentation and policy-making skills by creating long-term fiscal solutions and presenting recommendations to professionals and subject matter experts. The organization coordinates educational programming competition events networking opportunities and policy-focused experiential learning activities designed to prepare students for careers and graduate study in economics public policy government and related fields. Programming includes student engagement opportunities educational resources public policy analysis exercises live presentation events mentorship and career exploration programming.

What it reported doing in 2025

Fiscal Challenge Inc. provided experiential educational programming designed to enhance students understanding of fiscal policy economics and public policy analysis. Through a nationwide collegiate competition students researched and developed long-term fiscal policy solutions prepared analytical presentations and presented recommendations to professionals and subject matter experts. The organization coordinated educational resources student engagement activities networking opportunities and live competition events that helped participants strengthen research analytical communication and leadership skills while gaining exposure to careers in economics government and public policy.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

REVIEW - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue has grown recently. 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: 6
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 0
  • Sustainability: 55
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 6%; rating input score 6
  • Program expense ratio: 7.6%; rating input score 8
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: Limited
  • Governance controls: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 21.1%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.7; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.6%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 28% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 47.5% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 6% of revenue deployed · 7.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $12K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $17K · 2 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 6/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 7 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 8/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.