The Frederick Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
461705400
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Frederick, MD, USA
Phone
3013838787
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Lesbian, Gay Rights

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$624,181
Expenses
$538,858
Assets
$89,423
Liabilities
$7,237

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KRISTOPHER FAIR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KRISTOPHER FAIR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $57,142 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The frederick center exists to support and advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (lgbtq+) people and our families so we thrive, accepted and affirmed, in the broader frederick community.

What it reported doing in 2025

Services & outreach to the lgbtq+ community, including annual pride event, annual community events, weekly and bi-weekly support groups, networking groups and sensitivity/awareness trainings.

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 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 - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66.5%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 77%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.87 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: 13.7%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.17; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.6%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.5% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 26.8% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66.5% of revenue deployed · 77% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $415K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $57K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2018 to 2025
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.