Magis Center

Legal name: Spitzer-Magis Center FKA Magis Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
542075888
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Official website data refreshed
Jul 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Garden Grove, CA, USA
Phone
9704050823
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Roman Catholic
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,397,612
Expenses
$2,263,965
Assets
$1,413,647
Liabilities
$341,681

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Fr Robert J Spitzer SJ PHD (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • John Coffey (Executive Dir.): $183,423 total reported compensation
  • Joan Jacoby (Director of Administration): $134,681 total reported compensation
  • Janell Whaley (Director of Operations): $121,921 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Help us continue to provide free resources to parents, teachers, catechists, clergy, and the curious. DONATE TODAY [](. Magis Center's Mission: We exist to turn the rising tide of unbelief in our culture through contemporary, rational, and science-based evidence. Many young people today have the preconceived notions that science and faith are mutually exclusive, there is no such thing as a soul, and God is just an illusion of hope. There is a great need for a practical defense of the Catholic Faith that meets the surrounding culture in materialism and scientism.

What it reported doing in 2025

Magis Center Parish Programs : The Catholic Faith and Science Video Series: This series explores the scientific evidence for God as well as philosophical proofs of His existence, the historicity of Jesuss miracles and Resurrection, the reasons to be Catholic, why an all-loving God would allow suffering, and medical evidence for our transphysical soul. This series is for parish use and is great for ministries of faith formation for men and women, outreach, youth ministry, RCIA, diaconate formation, and educators! This series is available in the Magis Center store for $49.99 for individuals. There is also a group licensing option for diocesan-wide or parish-wide adoption and use. All-Access Catholic Video Series: This is Magis Centers comprehensive collection of 7 Magis Center video series designed for parishes, individuals, and groups. Whether you're exploring theological concepts, understanding the intersection of faith and science, or seeking guidance on living a virtuous life, our series cater to diverse interests and needs. This series is available in the Magis Center store for $99.99 for individuals. There is also a group licensing option for diocesan-wide or parish-wide adoption and use. The Confirmation and Catechesis Faith and Science SeriesScience and the Catholic Church: How Science Validates God, Jesus, the After Life, and the Catholic Faith: This is a dynamic new supplemental series developed by Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J. Ph.D. to help young adults prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation and their faith life beyond by introducing science-based apologetics. The course provides contemporary scientific evidence supporting the existence of God, Jesus, the afterlife, and the Catholic Faith. This series is an additional resource to existing confirmation programs that will help students better appropriate the sacramental formation. This series includes videos, a student takeaway book summarizing each of the four main topics and a facilitators manual which includes instructions for using the videos in retreats or as supplements to Confirmation and Catechetical classes. The facilitators manual also includes discussion questions and group activities. This series is available in the Magis Center store for $99.99. There is also a group licensing option for diocesan-wide or parish-wide adoption and use.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 65
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 67.4%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.6%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.62; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.4%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.8% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 64% of revenue deployed · 67.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $183K · 17 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 45/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.