Outcenter

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
800341856
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2020
Location
Benton Harbor, MI, USA
Phone
2699345633
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Support N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$316,714
Expenses
$310,248
Assets
$198,303
Liabilities
$5,678

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

People named in this filing

  • SAM DARRIGRAND (DIRECTOR)
  • SVEN ERICKSON (RECORDING SE)
  • SCOTT GANE (TREASURER)

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

To provide support and advocacy for respect, understanding and nondiscrimination to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (lgbtq+)people, their families and allied persons in southwest Michigan.

What it reported doing in 2025

Creating and supporting safe spaces: schools: outcenter worked with 6 area schools and libraries to support existing and developing lgbtq+ student-led clubs, or gsas, and provided guidance to 3 elementary schools on gender affirming practices and policies. Workshops and trainings: outcenter presented 11 workshops to 130 attendees across a diverse array of audiences throughout southwest Michigan. These workshops addressed healthcare disparities, cultural competency practices, safety, and competent sex ed. Advisory: outcenter regularly advised 15 organizations and committees on inclusive policies and practices. Public education: town halls: outcenter launched a new town hall program, hosting its first two events in november and december covering the topics of lgbtq+ healthcare access and how to build legal resilience. Online engagement: outcenters website received 13,000 unique visitors in 2025 along with more than 296,000 social media views. No silly questions: no silly questions is a short-form educational video series shared online through social media. In 2025 we created 19 videos which have more than 15,000 combined views. Community events: pride month events: outcenter hosted 19 pride month events in 10 cities and townships across southwest Michigan. Pridefest attendance: outcenter hosted more than 2,200 people at our three pridefest events in 2025, with 80 unique vendors between the three events. Community events: outcenter hosted and promoted 18 regularly scheduled community events including book clubs, walking/hiking groups, and social events.

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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.2%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 64.3%; rating input score 64
  • Fundraising efficiency: $57.85 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings

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: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.64; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.2% of revenue deployed · 64.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $199K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.