Sustainable Faith Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
261451153
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Columbus, OH, USA
Phone
5132548787
Rating
54
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Christianity
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,166,341
Expenses
$1,319,155
Assets
$2,370,194
Liabilities
$166,552

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID J NIXON (PRESIDENT TO 12/31/25)

Highest reported compensation

  • SHARON WADA (DIRECTOR): $150,510 total reported compensation
  • DAVID J NIXON (PRESIDENT TO 12/31/25): $132,230 total reported compensation
  • DANNY MULLINS (SECRETARY): $89,033 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To help leaders of churches and faith-based nonprofits thrive long-term in their vocations, in the us and abroad, by providing trainings and resources that foster a culture of healthy spirituality. Leader care and development resources include: spiritual direction, mentoring, and education in spiritual disciplines and contemplative practices. Sustainable faith offers vocational trainings for spiritual directors and church planters.

What it reported doing in 2025

School of neighborhood life continues and expands the work of sel to equip and resource church planters and pastors of newer churches to establish viable congregations that serve their local neighborhoods.reflective leadership: a leadership development program for a senior leader to reflect on accomplishments, broaden perspectives and discern next steps. Collaborative discernment: a leadership resourcing program to help senior leader team vision and plan for the future.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

MIXED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 46
  • Accountability: 26
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 51.7%; rating input score 52
  • Program expense ratio: 83.1%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $311.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 1st 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: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
    • 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: 50%; rating input score 50; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 14.3%; rating input score 14; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 39.1%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.8; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 28.9%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 26.3% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 51.7% of revenue deployed · 83.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 7 board members independent · 4 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $151K · 7 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 32 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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 52/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 14/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 50/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.