Franconia Soaring Foundation Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 812864631
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2023–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2022, Form 990-N 2020
- Location
- Franconia, NH, USA
- Phone
- 6035204171
- Rating
- 71
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Youth Development Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $270,297
- Expenses
- $117,823
- Assets
- $1,971,450
- Liabilities
- $861,517
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- THOMAS GANSE (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- JAMES DAVID (AIRPORT MANA)
- PETER EICHE (DIRECTOR)
- THOMAS GANSE (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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To preserve the franconia airport for future generations of aviation and outdoor recreational use. To provide educational programs and training materials related to the science and art of motorless flight. Provide flying equipment and facilities to assist in the promotion and education of students, pilots, youth organizations and the general public related to motorless flight and public safety. To encourage, promote and provide for the training of knowledge, skills and practices of motorless flight. To study and research the scientific techniques of soaring in the meteorological condition in the local area of the organization and to make these findings available to the public. To provide enhanced opportunities for motorless flight by facilitating oeprations in close proximity to the uniquely favorable soaring conditions in franconia, New Hampshire.
What it reported doing in 2025
To maintain an airfield in franconia, nh for the organization to utilize in efforts to continue their mission of training and education of the art of motorless flight, while preserving the franconia airport for future generations of aviation and recreational use.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 69% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
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: 51
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 70
- Sustainability: 80
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 38.8%; rating input score 39
- Program expense ratio: 89.1%; rating input score 89
- 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: 70%; rating input score 70; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- 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: 56.4%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 16.73; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.44; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 56% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 30.6% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 38.8% of revenue deployed · 89.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 10 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $105K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 10 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $281K reported
- Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 39/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 10/100.