Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhi

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043074862
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Medford, MA, USA
Phone
6176240177
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.
Affiliation
Buddhism

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$140,405
Expenses
$115,771
Assets
$664,010
Liabilities
$3,811

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WENDY COOK (PRESIDENT)
  • JOSE MANUEL GONZALEZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • BRYCE SCHINTZIUS (DIRECTOR)
  • TSERING LAMA (DIRECTOR)
  • SHELLEY WARREN HAGAN (SECRETARY)

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

Founded in 1989, the kurukulla center for tibetan buddhist studies inc.s mission is to provide a community of support for those who are studying and practicing the tibetan buddhist tradition.

What it reported doing in 2025

Local support programs: the center holds weekly classes, group practices and other events to promote the study and practice of the tibetan buddhist tradition. The center offers regular classes of philosophical topics, group practices and celebrations, visiting teachers speaking on a variety of related topics, a small bookstore and yoga classes. The center also houses a resident geshe (teacher). In following the buddhist tradition, the geshe has taken a vow of poverty and is supported by the center.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 89% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.5%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 88.8%; 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: 17.5%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.74; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.7% per year; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.3% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.2% per year; rating input score 0; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.5% of revenue deployed · 88.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $103K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.