Gamechanger Charity

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
263438815
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2009
Location
Dana Point, CA, USA
Phone
9493382797
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,987,671
Expenses
$1,203,160
Assets
$1,015,224
Liabilities
$484,686

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JIM CAROL (CEO/CHAIRMAN)

Highest reported compensation

  • JIM CAROL (CEO/CHAIRMAN): $28,574 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Gamechanger leverages technology and innovation to help children and their families who encounter life threatening illnesses.

What it reported doing in 2025

GameChanger Charity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children facing serious illness by leveraging innovation, technology, and community support. Founded with the mission to bring comfort, joy, and resources to hospitalized kids, the organization partners with hospitals, caregivers, and leading tech companies to provide therapeutic gaming, immersive experiences, and critical funding for pediatric care and research. Through its programs, GameChanger Charity not only helps ease the emotional and physical challenges of illness but also fosters connection, resilience, and hope for children and their families during difficult times. Katy W. , CEO of 24 Pediatric Hospitals, and Dustin L, President of Primary Children's Hospital stated, Primary Children's Hospital, and all pediatric Hospitals need Gamechanger, who has done more than any charity to help ease stress and anxiety in hospitalized children. All 350 beds in Salt Lakes hospital use Gamechanger solutions everyday to reduce anxiety and loneliness. Both are Gamechanger Board. Gamechanger funded 7 family rooms in hospitals, provided Yale Children's Hospital funding for pediatric hospice therapies, and stress reduction wearables for kids donated to 7 hospitals, We awarded 5 scholarships, send 4000 lego sets , funded a research Center at The Magob Youby heart center, funded 21 child life professionals globally to help ease stress for sick children, and delivered 8,000 hand wrapped presents and meals to hospitalized children and their families.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 90% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 94% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. 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: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 53.9%; rating input score 54
  • Program expense ratio: 88.6%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $206.4 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 91.6%; rating input score 92; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 39.5%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.84; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.48; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 53.9% of revenue deployed · 88.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $29K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links
  • 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 54/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.