United Sherpa Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
882908871
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2024
Location
Denver, CO, USA
Phone
7209391155
Rating
52
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Cultural, Ethnic Awareness

Reported finances

Revenue
$545,404
Expenses
$65,316
Assets
$534,114
Liabilities
$170,000

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

Leadership & pay

1 person listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Lhakpa Sherpa (President)

People named in this filing

  • Lhakpa Sherpa (President)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Cultural Preservation Community Support Global Connection

What it reported doing in 2025

United Sherpa Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, serves the Sherpa community in the United States. In 2025, the organizations primary program activity was a community land acquisition campaign. Through donor-restricted contributions of $476,584 and a $170,000 community member loan, the organization purchased land valued at $500,000 in August 2025 to establish a future Sherpa community center providing cultural programming, language preservation, and social services. Operating expenses of $59,432 supported community outreach and land acquisition activities. No grants were made to others; no program service revenue was earned.

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 revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 36
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 30
  • Sustainability: 84
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 10.9%; rating input score 11
  • Program expense ratio: 91%; rating input score 91
  • 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 88%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.18; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.32; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

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

Details

  • Where the money goes: 10.9% of revenue deployed · 91% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 15 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $59K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 1 people listed
  • Consistency: 13 of 13 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.