True Buddha Dharma Academy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
923226970
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Pasadena, CA, USA
Phone
6269050806
Rating
36
Verdict
REVIEW
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Buddhism
Affiliation
Buddhism

Reported finances

Revenue
$132,741
Expenses
$121,649
Assets
$35,083
Liabilities
$1,052

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • PO CHING TSENG (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • PO CHING TSENG (CEO): $5,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Provide education of buddhism to the public

What it reported doing in 2025

Holy land offering fund: this fund was established because the world buddhist headquarters has a buddha memorial holy site at rosemead, shere occasional chanting ceremonies and buddhist rituals are held on buddhist commemorative days. Many buddhists attene these ceremonies to pay their respects to the buddha and adorn the sacred site. Attendees bring fresh flowers, fruits and other offerings to signify their reference. True buddha dhama academy has followers in other countries who are unable to attend the commemorative events at rosemead in person. Therefore, these followers donate varying amounts to the holy land offering fund. The fund is used exclusively for offering purchases and is not diverted for other purposes.

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

REVIEW - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. 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: 3
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 5
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 2.8%; rating input score 3
  • Program expense ratio: 2.9%; rating input score 3
  • 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 8.4%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.29; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.5%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 94% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 62.8% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 2.8% of revenue deployed · 2.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $6K · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 3/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.