Optimist International Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237102928
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2024
Location
St Louis, MO, USA
Phone
3143716000
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,791,867
Expenses
$1,816,761
Assets
$15,741,968
Liabilities
$4,823,024

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BEN DEREMER (PRESIDENT)
  • FATIMA PLATER (PRESIDENT-ELECT)
  • CRAIG BORING (SECRETARY/ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • CRAIG BORING (SECRETARY/ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $126,964 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The optimist international foundation, incorporated in february 1971, is a foundation and charitable corporation established for the general purpose of soliciting and receiving gifts, donations and bequests of money and property to be used for the furtherance of the charitable and educational efforts and activities of optimist international. The foundation also acts as a custodian and investment manager for various funds that have been donated to or accumulated by optimist international clubs. The foundation supports optimist international programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Youth club programs: scholarships to support youth club programs and activities. Total expenses for the year ended september 30, 2025 amounted to $135,000, all of which were scholarships made to individuals living inside the united states. Essay contest scholarships program: an annual competition for high school students with approximately 2,558 entrants. Scholarships are awarded to individuals living in the united states. Total expenses for the year ended september 30, 2025 amounted to $92,500, all of which were scholarships.communications contest for the deaf and hard of hearing scholarships program (ccdhh): a program that awards scholarships to district winners. Scholarships are awarded to each individual winner and are payable upon receipt of the correct paperwork from an institution of higher learning. Total expenses for the year ended september 30, 2025 amounted to $32,500, all of which were scholarships made to individuals.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 67% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 81% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 68.6%; rating input score 69
  • Program expense ratio: 81.4%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 75.3%; rating input score 75; 20th 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: 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 34.9%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.66; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.31; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 68.6% of revenue deployed · 81.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $127K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 18 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 17 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.