Grand Canyon Youth Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
860905180
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Flagstaff, AZ, USA
Phone
9287737921
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Swimming & Other Water Recreation

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,880,582
Expenses
$1,697,227
Assets
$2,598,275
Liabilities
$581,093

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • EMMA WHARTON (Executive Dir.): $91,937 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Grand Canyon Youth (GCY) offers educational outdoor expeditions that connect young people (ages 10 19) to the transformative power of the rivers and canyons of the Southwest. GCY has served over 14,000 youth in the 28 years since its founding in 1998. Expeditions typically run from March through October, take place on eight sections of river in Utah and Arizona, including Grand Canyon, and range from 1 18 days long. The GCY warehouse & offices are located in Flagstaff, Arizona.

What it reported doing in 2025

During 2025, GCY facilitated 61 expeditions, serving 846 youth participants from across the country who spent 4,037 days outdoors. This represents a 3% increase in youth user days over the prior year. GCY continues to be one of the most affordable programs of its kind, charging up to two-thirds less than other river trips. Participants typically pay only 25-40% of the actual cost of operating the programs; the rest is funded by grants, contributions & special events. Additionally, in 2025 over $134,000 of direct financial aid was awarded to 423 youth participants, to help ensure cost is not a deterrent to participating. GCY strives to connect underrepresented and underserved youth to the river, including Indigenous youth, survivors of trauma, refugee youth, and youth who would otherwise never have such an opportunity. The focus of GCY's programs continues to be the educational & community service curriculum, while valuing the teachable moments that occur along the river, where learning is not an abstract concept for youth but something concrete & hands-on. During 2025, participants engaged in over 16,000 hours of community service, were encouraged to earn a portion of the cost of their trip, and participated in educational projects related to the cultural or natural history of the Southwest. A "community science" project is included on nearly every expedition. GCY is proud of and grateful for its collaborative relationships with the U.S. Department of the Interior (Bureau of Land Management, Grand Canyon National Park & the U.S. Geological Survey), Native American Tribes, supportive commercial river outfitters, various nonprofit organizations and dozens of schools and youth groups.In service to our mission and values, GCY would like to acknowledge that we are located on, and visit, the ancestral homelands of the Din (Navajo), Havasu Baaja (Havasupai), Hoputuh Shi-ni-mu (Hopi), Hwal-Pai (Hualapai), Dilzhee (Western Apache), Wipukpa (Yavapai), Nuciu (Ute), and Numa (Paiute) Peoples, past and present. We recognize with gratitude the people who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial and the vibrant Native communities who make their home here today.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 90.3%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9.7%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.53; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.4%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82% of revenue deployed · 90.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $92K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 24/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.