The Refuge for Dmst

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
464098511
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2022
Forms available
Form 990 2022
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
5128060555
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public, Society Benefit N.E.C.
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,247,291
Expenses
$3,954,766
Assets
$8,542,521
Liabilities
$198,091

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2022. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BROOKE CROWDER (CEO)
  • DANIELLE OWENS (PRESIDENT &)

Highest reported compensation

  • DANIELLE OWENS (PRESIDENT &): $86,267 total reported compensation
  • TRACIE STOOKESBERRY (CFO): $68,845 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2022. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The refuge circle of care program provides holistic comprehensive services to young girls between the ages of 14 & 19 who have been exploited through sex trafficking. All services are provided onsite at the refuge ranch. Due to unfortunate circumstances that occurred in december 2021 and january 2022, our license to operate was suspended on march 11, 2022. Though the refuge for dmst responded to the circumstances as required by law and licensing standards, terminated necessary employees, cooperated with investigations and was exonerated of all charges, our facility remained closed for the remainder of 2022. Most of our staff was laid off in june 2022.

What it reported doing in 2022

Our program did serve a total of 18 girls during the first quarter of 2022: - 12 placed with us by a state agency (67%), 3 by a county agency (17%), 2 by a nonprofit org (11%), and 1 by a family member (6%). - the average age of these girls upon admittance to our program was 15. - the average length of stay at the refuge was 149 days (5 months). - 8 hispanic (44%), 6 white (33%), 3 black (17%), 1 asian, native hawaiian or pacific islander (6%). - 15 (83%) of the girls we served in 2022 were from Texas; 3 (17%) were from out of state (California, Oklahoma, and Virginia). Given the abrupt removal of the girls in our care, we can only report the progress made with the 18 girls we served during the first quarter: - 3 achieved their high school diploma from the onsite university of Texas charter school in december 2021. - 206 individual therapy sessions were provided. - 120 sessions in group or family therapy. - 75 sessions in equine therapy. - 17 psychiatric sessions were provided. For the remainder of 2022, the refuge stewarded the 50-acre, 9 million facility built by texans for the care and well-being of girls who have been sex trafficked. Our constituency was kept informed throughout the year of the latest happenings and this information was also posted on our website to keep the public informed. Our license was reinstated on january 31, 2023, and after raising the necessary funds and rebuilding our team, we began to serve girls again that summer.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 72% 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.
  • 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 74.6%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.45 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th 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: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -76%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.16; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.9%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 36% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18.8% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29.8% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 74.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $86K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2014 to 2022
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.