Mission Brain Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
463396886
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Sausalito, CA, USA
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Brain Disorders

Reported finances

Revenue
$871,654
Expenses
$416,575
Assets
$1,495,649
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

1 person listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • April Sabangan (Chief Executive Officer)

People named in this filing

  • April Sabangan (Chief Executive Officer)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Mission Brain is dedicated to expanding access to neurosurgical care worldwide. Through innovative training programs research groups and global partnerships we aim to address the critical shortage of neurosurgeons in underserved regions.

What it reported doing in 2024

Through our Global Neurosurgery Research Program were collecting and analyzing data where its needed most - in underserved regions that have historically been left out of global studies. By leading research supporting peer-reviewed publications and empowering local teams to conduct their own investigations were building evidence that drives smarter more equitable care.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 86% 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 39
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 87
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 28.8%; rating input score 29
  • Program expense ratio: 52%; rating input score 52
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 52.2%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.59; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 44.1% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 35.9% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 28.8% of revenue deployed · 52% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $217K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 1 people listed
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 29/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 52/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
  • Review — Grant Readiness: California registration: this organization could not be resolved against the register, so the check is unfinished.