The Buddhayana Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043393565
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Marion, MA, USA
Phone
5087480800
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Printing, Publishing

Reported finances

Revenue
$128,261
Expenses
$156,496
Assets
$353,641
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL BALDWIN (PRESIDENT & CLERK)

Highest reported compensation

  • TENDZIN N PARSONS (TREASURER): $16,021 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To disseminate knowledge of buddhism, via books, pamplets and seminars

What it reported doing in 2024

To preserve and promote the buddhist religious tradition, particularly the nyingma tradition of tibetan buddhism, by engaging in the following activities:(a) aquiring buddhist manuscripts and related materials, partiularly those in the nyingma tradition of tibetanbuddhism;(b) employing qualified scholars and/or translators totranslate such materials;(c) aquiring appropriate space to house such materials andto provide a place for such scholars and/or translators topursue such work;(d) publishing the translated work;(e) establishing and maintaining places for religious worship, prayer and meditation in accordance with the customs, religious tenets and traditions of the nyingma tradition of tibetan buddhism;(f) conducting services of religious worship, prayer and meditation in accordance with the customs, religious tenents and traditions of the nyingma tradition of tibetan buddhism;(g) dissemnation knowledge of buddhism by all appropriate methods, including, but not limited to, publication of books, periodicals and pamphlets, and presentation of lectures and seminars, for the use of or to institutions, scholars or the public generally;(h) supporting the work of buddhist priests and monasteries throughout the world; and,(i) engaging in such other activities and programs in furtherance of the foregoing purposes as may be carried out by a corporation organized under Massachusetts general laws chapter 180 and described in section 501(c) (3) of the

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% 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: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 86.3%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -22%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.26; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.2%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6.4% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 86.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $135K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $16K · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.