Tolson Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
853459631
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Elkhart, IN, USA
Phone
5743610147
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Neighborhood Centers

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,400,437
Expenses
$1,170,566
Assets
$13,816,713
Liabilities
$349,764

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • BREANNA ALLEN (EXECUTIVE DI): $87,015 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The tolson center for community excellence empowers lives through inclusive learning, recreation and cultural exchange, opening doors to bright futures.

What it reported doing in 2024

Youth programs: tolson youth choir: a youth choir in collaboration with goshen college community school of the arts. Weekly, students in grades 3- 12th practice traditional choral arrangements. The students learn how to read music and perform at local establishments and in programs. The program is free for students. Accomplishments include: opening performance for the tolson center for community excellence grand opening, performance at two local elementary schools. Perform at tolson juneteenth celebration, and has served roughly 25 kids. Careerwise elkhart county modern youth apprenticeships: cwec is a modern youth apprenticeship program designed for junior and seniors in high school where they earn wages and gain relevant work skills. Upon completion of the apprenticeship, students earn a national credential from the united states department of labor. Apprentices work 16 hours a week working toward completing competencies related to their career path of interest. Accomplishments: tolson hosted its first two apprentices.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% 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

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 51
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 84
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 41.1%; rating input score 41
  • Program expense ratio: 84.2%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 51.2%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.8; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.4%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 118.8% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 49.1% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 41.1% of revenue deployed · 84.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $985K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $87K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 39/100.