The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770496500
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
Phone
8055432323
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Community Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,616,659
Expenses
$8,443,948
Assets
$98,850,255
Liabilities
$6,712,496

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATH TOMPKINS (PRESIDENT)
  • RICK WILLIAMS (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • GWEN ERSKINE (PRESIDENT OF REF, DIRECTOR)
  • CHRISTINE DAWSON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • HEIDI MCPHERSON (CEO (THROUGH JANUARY 2026))

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL JONES (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $184,297 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTINE DAWSON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $144,815 total reported compensation
  • HEIDI MCPHERSON (CEO (THROUGH JANUARY 2026)): $28,701 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 make a difference through philanthropic leadership.

What it reported doing in 2025

The community foundation san luis obispo county serves the entire county of san luis obispo, funding a wide range of initiatives, projects and organizations. Through the generosity of our donors, past and present, philanthropy is promoted that strengthens civic life across the san luis obispo county region in response to the ever changing demographics and needs of our communities. We focus our grantmaking on the following core areas: arts & culture, education, health, human services, scholarships, environment and community enhancement.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 62% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 89% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 68
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.4%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 86.7%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.8 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 95%; rating input score 95; 28th 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99%; rating input score 99; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 20.5%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.71; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84.4% of revenue deployed · 86.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $184K · 18 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 44 of 45 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 97 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 95 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.