GullahGeechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
263038383
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2014
Location
Beaufort, SC, USA
Phone
8438184587
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,152,280
Expenses
$1,094,832
Assets
$424,327
Liabilities
$49,871

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Djuanna Brockington (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Djuanna Brockington (Executive Director): $110,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We are dedicated to fostering understanding, appreciation, and respect for the traditions, language, arts, and history of this vibrant community.Through education, advocacy, and community engagement, we strive to raise awareness about the significant contributions of the Gullah Geechee people to American culture and history. We are committed to empowering Gullah Geechee individuals and communities by providing opportunities for economic development, cultural expression, and environmental stewardship.Central to our mission is the celebration of diversity and the promotion of inclusivity. We aim to create a welcoming and inclusive space where people of all backgrounds can come together to learn, share, and celebrate the rich heritage of the Gullah Geechee culture.

What it reported doing in 2024

During the reporting period, the program achieved several significant milestones that strengthened community engagement, cultural preservation, and resilience planning throughout the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.A major accomplishment was the delivery of a three-part educational series in Florida focused on the history and living legacy of the Gullah Geechee people. The series provided participants with a deeper understanding of Gullah Geechee heritage, cultural traditions, and contemporary contributions, fostering greater awareness and appreciation among community members and stakeholders.Building upon this momentum, the organization successfully launched its inaugural Gullah Geechee Summit in Florida. The Summit brought together community leaders, cultural practitioners, scholars, preservation advocates, and residents to engage in meaningful dialogue around cultural preservation, economic opportunity, and community development. The success of this event has led to plans for expansion into additional Corridor states in 2026, creating new opportunities for regional collaboration and impact.The program also conducted Gullah Geechee Resilience and Resource Listening Tours across the Corridor. These community-centered engagements provided valuable opportunities for residents to share local knowledge, identify environmental and habitat restoration priorities, and discuss challenges affecting their communities. Information gathered during the tours is being used to guide the development of a comprehensive Resilience Plan designed to strengthen community sustainability, environmental stewardship, and long-term cultural preservation.Another highlight was the hosting of the first annual Gullah Convening, a landmark celebration of Gullah Geechee culture, heritage, and community. The event featured a formal dinner curated by renowned Gullah chefs, showcasing the rich culinary traditions of the Gullah Geechee people. Guests also enjoyed live music, cultural storytelling, and opportunities for intergenerational connection and learning. The Convening created an unforgettable evening that honored heritage, celebrated cultural excellence, and reinforced the importance of preserving and sharing Gullah Geechee traditions for future generations.Collectively, these initiatives expanded public awareness of Gullah Geechee culture, strengthened community connections across the Corridor, elevated local voices in resilience planning efforts, and established a strong foundation for continued growth and impact in the years ahead.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 80% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 67
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83.1%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 87.5%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.87 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 11.1%; rating input score 11; 26th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: 5%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.39; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 22.4% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 19.4% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 22.1% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 83.1% of revenue deployed · 87.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $958K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $110K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 11/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 18/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 50/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.