Se Asia Ethnic Minority Mission Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
471492967
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025
Location
San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
Phone
8055434907
Rating
94
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Religion Related N.E.C.
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$113,985
Expenses
$107,943
Assets
$75,219

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATHY NGUYEN (CEO)

People named in this filing

  • CHARLES BURT (Treasurer CFO)
  • LANCE GOLDSMITH (Secretary)
  • KATHY NGUYEN (CEO)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

SEEM's efforts are focused on supporting the ministry of Rev. Louis Julian. A native of Vietnam, Rev. Julian has worked in Christian evangelism for minority groups in Vietnam since the early 1970s. The mission work has not been easy, because there has historically been serious persecution of minority tribespeople who are Christian. The hill tribespeople (often called "Montagnards") are actually composed of several dozen distinct tribes such as the Jeh, Jarai, Bahnar, Bru, and Rhade. The tribes are often of very different ethnical backgrounds. For example, the Jarai are of Malayan-Polynesian heritage. Other tribes are more closely related to groups from India, or from China. But they are quite different from ethnic Vietnamese, Laotians, or Cambodians - culturally, ethnically, and with language.

What it reported doing in 2025

Because there has been a strong history of large-scale persecution of Christian hill tribespeople (jailing, not allowing them to own businesses, beatings, ineligibility of children for jobs), many of the hill tribespeople are not willing to sign up with the government as a condition of worshiping. Instead, they strongly believe in the concept of freedom of religion. As a result, in some areas of the countries, evangelism work must still be carried out secretly. Lay pastors will be arrested and jailed. In other areas, things are opening up and churches can now be built -- although fear still persists.Rev. Julian has an amazing ministry that has been operating for decades on a shoestring budget. There is no shortage of lay persons among the hill tribespeople who would like to be lay pastors. Training these future pastors is a major focus of SEEM.

Operating model

Revenue model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and assets have declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.9%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 99.2%; rating input score 99

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.3%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.7; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -9% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93.9% of revenue deployed · 99.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $107K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 6 of 6 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 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.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 45/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.