Wambli Ska Society
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 472188252
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2020
- Location
- Rapid City, SD, USA
- Phone
- 6022055155
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,677,052
- Expenses
- $1,725,988
- Assets
- $2,658,441
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CHRIS WHITE EAGLE (CEO)
- TARAH WHITE EAGLE (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- CHRIS WHITE EAGLE (CEO): $93,692 total reported compensation
- TRACY SIGDESTAD (TREASURER): $72,177 total reported compensation
- TARAH WHITE EAGLE (PRESIDENT): $64,048 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of wambli ska okolakiciye is to empower the native american community to overcome barriers, revive cultural traditions, and promote resiliency in a compassionate and supportive environment. We walk alongside our people responding to urgent needs while reviving traditional lifeways, fostering education, and building pathways to self-determined futures. As an indigenous-led nonprofit rooted in service, cultural restoration, and community resilience, our mission remains intentionally broad, designed to meet the evolving realities of indigenous communities with agility, compassion, and strength.
What it reported doing in 2024
Cultural & community programs- wambli ska teen drop-in center serves as a safe haven for native american youth in rapid city, South Dakota, a city where systemic inequities in education, policing, and the justice system place indigenous young people at profound risk. The center provides a welcoming, culturally grounded space where youth can access basic needs, build skills, and reconnect with their identity and community. Services include homework support and tutoring, computer lab access, showers, food pantry, hot meals, life skills training, art and recording studios, suicide prevention programming, and mentoring. Cultural teachings, lakota language instruction, and community gatherings connect youth to their heritage and to each other. The center also offers a k-12 on-site homeschool option and operates a safe passage program protecting youth in high-risk areas. Zuya wicasa ta o'tipi | warriors lodge provides transitional housing and holistic wraparound support for more than 20 young native men in rapid city. The program offers mentorship, life skills training, cultural reconnection to traditional ways of living, and a secure environment for healing and personal growth. Pejuta waste o'tipi | good medicine lodge serves the unsheltered community through emergency shelter, a drop-in day center, nutritious meals, case management, showers, laundry, mail services, and access to medical and mental health resources. Both programs reflect wambli ska's commitment to meeting people where they are and providing the safety and stability necessary for long-term healing and selfdetermination. The organization also operates the following programs: (1) oyate court program restorative justice services promoting social equality and alternatives to incarceration; (2) wellbriety program indigenous-based addiction recovery support; (3)community violence intervention ensuring neighborhood safety and reducing police presence; (4) food sovereignty initiatives food pantry, community garden, and traditional food distribution; (5) cultural revitalization lakota language, ceremonies, values, and advocacy; (6) mental and emotional health support trauma-informed practices, prayer vigils, and community support for those experiencing loss; (7) search teams for missing and murdered indigenous people.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 75% 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
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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 77
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 62
- Sustainability: 72
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 76.2%; rating input score 76
- Program expense ratio: 77.4%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: $56.08 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
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: 50%; rating input score 50; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 53.1%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.54; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 20.9%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 38.5% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 59.9% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 82.2% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 76.2% of revenue deployed · 77.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 6 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $94K · 12 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
- Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.