Santa Elena Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
464222074
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2019
Forms available
Form 990 2019, Form 990-EZ 2014, Form 990-N 2013
Location
Beaufort, SC, USA
Phone
9403671694
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$229,151
Expenses
$404,739
Assets
$483,983
Liabilities
$11,954

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2019. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Megan T Morris (Executive Dir.): $74,250 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2019. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the Santa Elena Foundation is to discover, preserve, and share the untold story of America's first - and lost - century through the rise and fall of Santa Elena.

What it reported doing in 2019

The strategic vision for the Santa Elena Foundation is to expand the knowledge of Santa Elena and other 16th Century European Settlements in the area of the Port Royal Sound. The vision of the Santa Elena Foundation will be achieved via continual archeological research and through programs at a cultural interpretive center. A permanent cultural interpretive center commemorates the European colonization near the natural harbors of the Port Royal Sound. The archeological site and cultural interpretive center will be internationally recognized with broad historical and cultural appeal. The activities of the Santa Elena Foundation will make a sustained positive contribution to the local economy.

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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 21
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 65.1%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -76.6%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.2; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.3%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 20.2% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 65.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 9 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $264K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $74K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2015 to 2019
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.