The Sarbanes Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
331279878
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2024
Location
Towson, MD, USA
Phone
4436326569
Rating
56
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Management & Technical Assistance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,424,197
Expenses
$44,621
Assets
$2,380,467
Liabilities
$876

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN SARBANES (President & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • KRISTEN WEISS FIDLER (Executive Dir.): $21,875 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 Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity founded in 2024 by Congressman John Sarbanes in honor of the Sarbanes familys commitment to service and volunteerism. Its mission is to support other nonprofit organizations as a convener, strategic coalition builder and project facilitator with a focus on civics and democracy, whole health, and environmental stewardship.

What it reported doing in 2025

The Sarbanes Center operates as a hands-on project booster helping nonprofits and community organizations deliver impact at the highest level. The Center gives knowledge, strategy, and social capital in support of concrete, on the ground initiatives. By operating as a nonprofit hub supported by foundations and individuals, The Center provides services at no cost, helping our partners access critical strategic support that would otherwise be out of reach.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. 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: 17
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 86
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0.4%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: 19.3%; rating input score 19
  • Fundraising efficiency: $346.65 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 95; 95th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 98.2%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 53.35; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 49%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0.4% of revenue deployed · 19.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $9K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $22K · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.