Upward Unlimited

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
571031173
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2023
Location
Spartanburg, SC, USA
Phone
8649495700
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development – Religious Leadership
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,347,217
Expenses
$7,890,945
Assets
$54,109,408
Liabilities
$2,505,861

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kevin Drake (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Kevin Drake (Executive Director): $277,154 total reported compensation
  • Amie Busbee (CFO/Assistant Treasurer): $192,878 total reported compensation
  • Mitchell Hollis (Director of Upward Running): $165,927 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Upward Sports is the world's largest Christian sports provider for youth athletics. The mission of Upward Sports is to promote the discovery of Jesus through sports. Upward Sports provides valuable resources that aid in planning, training, and executing first-class, organized, and detailed sports offerings. Upward Sports' values are integrity, collaboration, excellence, innovation and joy.

What it reported doing in 2024

Upward sports ("the organization") exists to promote the discovery of jesus through sports. The organization helps christian church leaders leverage the power of sports as a universal language for building relationships, sharing the gospel, and serving their communities. As a nondenominational christian sports ministry, the organization provides engaging programs for young athletes from kindergarten through high school and offers comprehensive resources that support churches in planning, training, and delivering high-quality, well-organized sports experiences. During the year ended september 30, 2025, the organization partnered with more than 2,100 churches to offer sports leagues, camps and clinics, reaching nearly 223,000 young athletes nationwide.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 94% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 66.5%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 86.7%; rating input score 87; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 82.6%; rating input score 83; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.6%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.86; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.2%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -8% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.7% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 66.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $5.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $277K · 13 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.3M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 36 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 13 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 6 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.
  • 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 — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.