Wine Country Marines C/o James Cameron Treasurer

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
383737505
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2016, Form 990-N 2010
Location
Portland, OR, USA
Phone
4087616685
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Military, Veterans' Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$29,699
Expenses
$52,152
Assets
$116,592
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GILBERT MORALES (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • CASEY KELSEY (DIRECTOR)
  • JAIME PAYNE (DIRECTOR)
  • CHRISTIAN LORANGE (GENERAL COUNSEL)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Wine country marines (wcm) is a patriotic, veteran-led nonprofit rooted in marine corps heritage that supports service members, veterans, and their families from all branches of the u.s. Armed forces. Through recognition events, emergency assistance, morale and readiness support, and collaborative community programs, wcm preserves the ethos and esprit de corps of the u.s. Marine corps while carrying out charitable and educational activities that benefit the broader military community and the civilians who support them.

What it reported doing in 2024

Through "shop with a hero," the wine country marines provided $10,000 in gift cards to active duty us marines. These marines are then paired with law enforcement counterparts to accompany children from the community on a special shopping trip for christmas. The program places particular emphasis on children who have been victims of violent crimes, including trafficking, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, or those who have tragically lost their parents to violent crime. By bringing together service members and law enforcement officers in a collaborative effort to bring joy to these children during the holiday season, "shop with a hero not only spreads cheer but also fosters positive relationships between military and civilian communities. This initiative not only aligns with the wine country marines' overarching mission but also serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of community support in bolstering the morale and well-being of our service members. Ultimately, "shop with a hero" embodies the spirit of service and compassion, demonstrating the commitment of the wine country marines to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those they serve, both at home and abroad."shop with a hero" is a heartwarming program organized by the wine country marines, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to supporting active duty, reserve component, and veterans communities. With a mission to perpetuate the esprit de corps and further the goals of the united states marine corps and the military as a whole, this initiative aims to strengthen community relations and enhance military service branding while providing tangible support to those in need. In the fiscal year ended june 30, 2025, 50 marines, sailors and coast guard and 50 law enforcement officers shopped with 100 children who benefitted from the program.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 67% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 77.3%; rating input score 77
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -75.6%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.24; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -13.4% per year; rating input score 0; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.6% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 77.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $40K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 18 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.