The Hyogo Business & Cultural Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911481060
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2067280610
Rating
38
Verdict
REVIEW
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Promotion of International Understanding

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$225,136
Expenses
$227,411
Assets
$195,150
Liabilities
$107,929

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TAKAHISA IKEGAMI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • TAKAHISA IKEGAMI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $107,805 total reported compensation
  • SHUMPEI FUJIWARA (DIRECTOR): $105,896 total reported compensation
  • KOJI HARADA (DIRECTOR): $77,936 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Hyogo business & cultural center was established in 1990 by the hyogo prefectural government. The center's primary source of support is grants from the hyogo prefectural government. The center was organized to strengthen business, educational and cultural relations between the hyogo prefecture and the state of Washington (and the united states) as well as to introduce japanese culture through cultural programs and to promote japanese language education in the state of Washington.

What it reported doing in 2024

Sister-city affiliation program: support of the sister relationship between hyogo prefecture in japan and Washington state, as well as 12 hyogo-Washington sister city relationships.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
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

REVIEW - The filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 10
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 22
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 11%; rating input score 11
  • Program expense ratio: 10.9%; rating input score 11
  • 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: 20%; rating input score 20; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Limited
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.86; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.55; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 288.8%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.8% per year; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.7% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 11% of revenue deployed · 10.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 10 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $25K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $108K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 11/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 11/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 20/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 10/100.