Searchlight

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
204668113
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Jacksonville, OR, USA
Phone
5418999577
Rating
58
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Religious Media, Communications
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,226,634
Expenses
$630,941
Assets
$2,823,688
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JON COURSON (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • JON COURSON (President): $132,000 total reported compensation
  • BOB THORNLEY (Business Manager): $131,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Distribute Bible teachings via the internet and radio. Make available various Bible study resources.

What it reported doing in 2025

Provide Through-the-Bible teachings on hundreds of Radio Stations Provide Through-the-Bible teachings on the Searchlight Website Provide Through-the-Bible teachings through the Searchlight Podcast Provide ongoing prayer and support for people and ministries Provide various Bible study resources

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% 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.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 40
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 49.7%; rating input score 50
  • Program expense ratio: 88.1%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Limited
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 48.6%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.48; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 41.7%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 49.7% of revenue deployed · 88.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 2 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $556K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $132K · 3 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 50/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.