Upswing Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
853622275
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lakewood, CO, USA
Phone
7206080259
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development – Religious Leadership

Reported finances

Revenue
$915,746
Expenses
$3,367,336
Assets
$26,117,523
Liabilities
$1,224,753

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HARMONY MYERS (PRESIDENT)
  • JOSH WILSON (CEO (THRU 6/25))
  • KRISTY DETRICK (VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOSH WILSON (CEO (THRU 6/25)): $378,102 total reported compensation
  • KRISTY DETRICK (VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS): $200,631 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Upswing foundation's mission is to catapult dreams and connect people, specifically by (i) providing first-rate resources & opportunities to underserved youth. (ii) unifying diverse communities via education, whimsy & gathering. (iii) building & maintaining sports facility that empowers & inspires all. (iv) supporting other nonprofit and foreign organizations that align both in mission and application of foundation's aim.

What it reported doing in 2024

Enrichment, scholarships, athletic facility: upswing has built and maintains the state-of-the-art youth sports facility known as upswing centennial for sports performance, recovery and dance. At upswing centennial, upswing provides specialized sports training and mentorship for underserved student-athletes who do not otherwise have the resources to obtain such sports training.our upswing experience scholarship provides aspiring athletes with access to the highest quality performance training and recovery programs available, helping build speed, strength, endurance, and overall health both inside and outside of standard sports seasons.in fiscal 2025, the organization added upswing track, which provides year-round sprint and speed training for athletes ages 6-19. This program focuses on technique, power, mobility, confidence-building, and competition opportunities across Colorado and select out-of-state meets.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 72% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 89% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 61
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 89.3%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -267.7%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.76; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.1%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -84.8% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -4.9% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 89.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 3 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $378K · 5 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $220K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 8 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.