Shelterbox USA Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
200471604
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Phone
8056082400
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$16,060,348
Expenses
$15,045,591
Assets
$8,929,129
Liabilities
$1,695,480

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kerri Murray (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Kerri Murray (President): $356,276 total reported compensation
  • Lyndsay Skeegan (Chief Operating Officer): $249,365 total reported compensation
  • Paul Vercammen (Communications Director): $193,858 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of shelterbox USA is to deliver humanitarian relief in the form of equipment and materials that bring shelter, warmth & dignity to people made homeless by natural or other disasters worldwide.

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, ShelterBox marked 25 years of providing emergency shelter to families displaced by disaster and conflict. With global displacement exceeding 122 million people by mid2025, ShelterBox delivered emergency shelter and essential aid to 235,000 people in 18 countries, including communities affected by earthquakes, severe storms, flooding, and longrunning crises in places such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Gaza, and Chad. Aid included tents, tarpaulins, blankets, solar lights, hygiene items, and other critical supplies that helped families begin to recover. More information is available at www.ShelterBoxUSA.org.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 89% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 75.2%; rating input score 75
  • Program expense ratio: 79.9%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.91 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 6.3%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.6% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 75.2% of revenue deployed · 79.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $12M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $356K · 21 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 42/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.