Tara Dhatu
Legal name: Tara Dhatu Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 990321886
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2018–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Rating
- 64
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Religion Related N.E.C.
- Affiliation
- Buddhism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $175,534
- Expenses
- $173,184
- Assets
- $118,381
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- PREMA DASARA (PRESIDENT)
- EANA JANET GRAVES (VICE PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- PREMA DASARA (PRESIDENT)
- EANA JANET GRAVES (VICE PRESIDENT)
- LILLIHA N HERINGTON (SECRETARY)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Tara Dhatu is a non-profit organization, an international community, and a sacred vehicle for the liberation of all beings. We are dedicated to the inspiration and uplifting of humanity through the sacred arts, especially dance, music, meditation, prayer, and service. The organization was formed at the request of His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche, an accomplished and revered Tibetan Buddhist master. He had witnessed the Dance of the 21 Praises of Tara, choreographed by one of his students, Prema Dasara. He asked that an organization be established to protect the dance’s integrity as a Vehicle of Liberation. He rejoiced in witnessing the devotion and peace transmitted by the dance and encouraged it to be broadcast, in video and in communal celebrations. Since 1985 the dance has traveled throughout the world. A series of documentaries have been made and the organization has grown to...
What it reported doing in 2024
Short term fundraising projects to support humanitarian outreach efforts and events
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 59% for direct work, and 41% for grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 58
- Transparency & Controls: 64
- Accountability: 70
- Sustainability: 47
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 60%; rating input score 60
- Program expense ratio: 60.9%; rating input score 61
- Fundraising efficiency: $10.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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; 42nd 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: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- 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: 1.3%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.68; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 20% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 60% of revenue deployed · 60.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $105K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
- Consistency: 21 of 22 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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: 8 of 8 not reported.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 50/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.