Friends of the Oregon Caves and Chateau
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 262620939
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2012
- Location
- Grants Pass, OR, USA
- Phone
- 5419441139
- Rating
- 65
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $285,753
- Expenses
- $223,125
- Assets
- $313,940
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Bernie Thurber (President)
- Molly Spencer (Vice President)
- Sue Densmore (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Sue Densmore (Executive Director): $41,750 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Friends of the Oregon Caves and Chateau was formed in 2008, in cooperation with the National Park Service, to preserve, protect and improve the cultural and natural resources of the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve.
What it reported doing in 2025
The Friends have created a Historic Furnishings Plan (HFP) to document the restoration of the National Historic Landmark (NHL) Chateau. An HFP is a required part of the proper restoration of an NHL. This assures that the designation is retained and maintained when a concessioner is chosen to operate the lodge. This is a multi-phase plan that will culminate in a Maintenance Plan. The Chateau was built in 1934 by the Oregon Caves Company, group of local investors. The design of the buildings, using local material in a rustic fashion is in keeping with most of the historic lodges found in the National Parks. Grants Pass builder and self taught architect designed and built the Chateau. The bark siding is from native Port Orford cedar trees. The building's massing proportion, 6 stories, 28,000 square feet, with 25 rooms, 2 restaurants and sited within a canyon at the head of the ravine, allows it to be less intrusive and makes it a remarkable asset to the region and the National Park Service. Visitors come from all over the US and many foreign countries.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 74% 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.
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: 53
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 63
- Sustainability: 60
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 47.6%; rating input score 48
- Program expense ratio: 60.7%; rating input score 61
- Fundraising efficiency: $19.25 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
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: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- 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: 21.9%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.41; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 18.7%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -24.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -26.1% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 47.6% of revenue deployed · 60.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $135K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $42K · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2020 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 48/100.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 7 not reported.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 54/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.