Point Fermin Lighthouse Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
562498078
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2021
Location
San Pedro, CA, USA
Phone
3108312185
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Reported finances

Revenue
$37,277
Expenses
$13,035
Assets
$541,421
Liabilities
$210

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Joe McKinzie (President)
  • Millicent Borgarding (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Joe McKinzie (President)
  • France Carter (Secretary)
  • Tom Budar (CFO)

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

The Point Fermin Lighthouse Society's mission is to (1) support the rehabilitation, restoration, and preservation of the Point Fermin Lighthouse and its history in Point Fermin Park, (2) publish a newsletter to inform members and other interested parties, (3) educate and inform the public regarding lighthouses and maritime history, and (5) interpret and furnish the interior of the Point Fermin Lighthouse.

What it reported doing in 2025

The Point Fermin Lighthouse Society has achieved its mission by supporting the rehabilitation, restoration, and preservation of the Point Fermin Lighthouse and its history in Point Fermin Park and furnishing the interior of the lighthouse. They publish a newsletter to inform members and other interested parties that educates the public about lighthouses and maritime history. They, also, research and interpret the history of the Point Fermin Lighthouse.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.

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 revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 38
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 80
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 23%; rating input score 23
  • Program expense ratio: 76.9%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 14th 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: 65%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 41.54; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -44% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 23% of revenue deployed · 76.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $10K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 15 of 16 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2020 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 23/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.