Sonoma Ashram
Legal name: Sri Sarveshwari Samooh
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 943151595
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2021
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2021
- Location
- Sonoma, CA, USA
- Phone
- 707-996-8915
- Rating
- 73
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Hinduism
- Affiliation
- Hinduism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $896,780
- Expenses
- $293,577
- Assets
- $5,462,241
- Liabilities
- $1,585
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2021. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- HARIHAR PANDEY (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- CARRIE SCHEINMAN (BOARD MEMBER): $37,587 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2021. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Through a daily spiritual practice (sadhana) we remain connected with our true nature of fullness, which overflows into the world as selfless service (seva) to humanity. Tech support This harmonious blend of learning and service fosters a supportive environment, promoting lasting connections and a shared sense of purpose among participants. Sample Daily Schedule. Sonoma Ashram Foundation is dedicated to spirituality and social service, guiding initiatives in the U.S., India and Europe. The goal of our work is to inspire individuals to connect with their inner fullness and to live a life of service. We are creating a new residency program for those interested in being immersed in a spiritual environment while engaging in social service. Varanasi is the hub of spiritual life where true spirituality is lived rather than learned from books. We offer free room and board (3 meals/day) for...
What it reported doing in 2021
Due to covid-19, there were no expenses for these programs during fy 2021-2022: maintenance, operations and expansion of social service projects in varanasi, india, which include a home for up to 20 disadvantaged children (bal ashram), an eye hospital and mobile eye clinics (vision varanasi), girls orphanage (shanti niketan), a school for the poor (anjali school), a vocational training program for underprivileged women (project shakti), an environmental center (amrit sagar), and a service for food relief to migrant families (narayan seva).operations and maintenance of projects includes local and international fundraising and providing financial support to our sister organization in india, which administers the programs referenced above.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 79% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 49
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 81
- Sustainability: 86
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 31.7%; rating input score 32
- Program expense ratio: 95%; rating input score 95
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 67.3%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 18.61; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12.8%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.9% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 31.7% of revenue deployed · 95% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $279K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $38K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 9 filing years from 2013 to 2021
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 32/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.