Venture Unknown Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 922112176
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2024–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2023
- Location
- Pendleton, SC, USA
- Phone
- 7705800844
- Rating
- 53
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Military, Veterans' Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $139,688
- Expenses
- $63,871
- Assets
- $113,285
- Liabilities
- $4,838
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
People named in this filing
- MICHELLE CLARK (BOARD MEMBER)
- SEAN CLARK (CHAIRMAN)
- ROD STRICKLAND (VICE CHAIRMAN)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We are a steadfast beacon of stewardship, committed to preserving the heart of our natural world. As a nonprofit 501c3 organization, our mission is crystal clear: we exist to be guardians of our outdoor and overland community, guided by the principles of exploration, education, and encouragement. In a world where our beautiful public lands are at risk of neglect, our foundation stands as a champion for their preservation and conservation.
What it reported doing in 2025
The venture unknown foundation held its 2nd annual spring clean event on march 22, 2025. This year's event saw volunteers in both North Carolina and Georgia. In total, 43 volunteers dedicated their time to remove 8,430 pounds of trash from two locations in a single day of stewardship within our national forests. Together, they successfully removed 8,430 pounds of trash. Continuing our work in the communities impacted by hurricane helene, venture unknown foundation provided supplies and financial aid to support the ongoing recovery efforts throughout the spring of 2025.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 97% 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 total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 12
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 77
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 8.5%; rating input score 8
- Program expense ratio: 18.5%; rating input score 19
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 54.3%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.77; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -70.6% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 75.9% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 107.4% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 8.5% of revenue deployed · 18.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments · $12K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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 8/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 19/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.