Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
943171879
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Norden, CA, USA
Phone
5302697401
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,076,746
Expenses
$8,287,603
Assets
$18,707,344
Liabilities
$6,072,957

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • STEPHEN MCMAHON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • STEPHEN MCMAHON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $242,050 total reported compensation
  • BRANKO ZAGAR (ATHLETIC DIRECTOR): $178,637 total reported compensation
  • MARK MCAULEY (FACILITIES & ENGINEERING DIRECTOR): $106,941 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Sugar bowl ski team & academy is a community dedicated to providing passionate skiers the opportunity to pursue athletic dreams, academic excellence and personal growth while celebrating grit, grace and courage. The organization oversees the (continued on schedule o) following programs: a ski team for alpine, freeride and nordic skiers racers of all ages and a college preparatory day and boarding school for students in grades 6-12.

What it reported doing in 2024

Sbsta operates sugar bowl academy, a fully accredited boarding and day school for students in grades 6 through 12. Currently there are 55 students enrolled in the school on a full time basis. The school offers rigorous college preparatory academics combined with a competitive alpine, nordic and freeride ski program for students who want to pursue both athletics and academics at a high level. Academy students regularly compete in ski race events at a regional and national level. Nearly 100% of academy graduates attend a four year college or university and many continue competitive ski racing during their college years. Sugar bowl ski team & academy is a community dedicated to providing passionate skiers the opportunity to pursue athletic dreams, academic excellence, and personal (continued on schedule o) growth while celebrating grit, grace, and courage.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 85% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 80% for direct work, and 20% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.9%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 62%; rating input score 62
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.99 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 63rd 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: -17.1%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.26; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.32; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 71.9% of revenue deployed · 62% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $5.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $242K · 20 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 45/100.