With its deep pockets, generosity and entrepreneurial zip code, perhaps it’s not surprising that Laguna Beach is the non-profit capital of the West. But it is surprising how profitable nonprofits can be for some executives.
In a new report, the Pulitzer Prize winning investigative news team at ProPublica released an online database that analyzes executive compensation for all listed nonprofits in the country. The stats for Laguna Beach are all across the board.
As a percentage of expenses, executive compensation is usually less than 10% for most nonprofits, especially with budgets under $1 million. In fact, anything more than that raises eyebrows with boards of directors and even the IRS. But major nonprofits with budgets in the tens of millions sometimes use a percentage from 1 to 2.5 percent, according to industry analysts.
In Laguna Beach, ProPublica lists 410 nonprofits. More than half don’t report any revenue at all. However, there are some very large nonprofit organizations operating out of Laguna – with executive salaries to match.
For example, the Foundation for Affordable Housing hands out more than $2 million in executive salaries, but it also has more than $27 million in annual revenue spread out among its many operations.
By contrast, most small nonprofits offer either modest or no executive compensation.
Remember that with a population of less than 23,000, Laguna Beach is considered a small town, but it has more nonprofit groups per capita than any state in the U.S. – by a long shot. The only area that has more nonprofits per capita is Washington D.C. In other words, per 10,000 people, Laguna has about 180 nonprofits. D.C. has 232. The closet state is Vermont with 112.
Here is a list of the top 30 nonprofit organizations in Laguna Beach by recent annual revenue, along with the executive compensation as a percentage of expenses. This information comes directly from ProPublica, with links to the individual organizations for more information.
In the end, most nonprofits struggle to break even. But not all. And the difference can be dramatic.
Laguna Beach top 30 nonprofits by revenue
| Company Name | NTEE Classification | Annual revenue | Exec. Compensation (% of total expenses) | Fiscal year |
| LAGUNA COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN | Higher Education Institutions | $27,712,857 | 2.50% | 2019 – 2020 |
| FOUNDATION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING INC | Senior Citizens’ Housing/Retirement Communities | $24,180,053 | 1.70% | 2019 |
| ASSE INTERNATIONAL INC | International Student Exchange and Aid | $8,045,330 | 6.30% | 2019 – 2020 |
| THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE | Theater | $5,463,774 | 7.70% | 2019 – 2020 |
| FRIENDSHIP SHELTER INC | Homeless, Temporary Shelter For | $5,180,005 | 4.30% | 2019 |
| EURAUPAIR INTERNATIONAL INC | International Exchanges, N.E.C. | $5,061,320 | 10.70% | 2018 – 2019 |
| LAGUNA FOOD PANTRY | $4,493,500 | 5.40% | 2019 – 2020 | |
| LAGUNA BEACH COMMUNITY CLINIC INC | Ambulatory Health Center, Community Clinic | $4,425,305 | 21.50% | 2019 – 2020 |
| FRIENDS OF THE SEA LION INC | Wildlife Sanctuary, Refuge | $4,245,830 | 19.60% | 2019 |
| STARS & STRIPES CHILDRENS FOUNDATION | Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution | $4,071,174 | 0% | 2019 |
| SOUTHEAST AFFORDABLE PRESERVATION INC | Public Housing Facilities | $3,325,316 | 0% | 2019 |
| LAGUNA ART MUSEUM | Art Museums | $3,095,545 | 10.20% | 2018 – 2019 |
| GLENNWOOD HOUSING FOUNDATION | Housing Development, Construction, Management (L24) | $2,338,232 | 5.10% | 2019 |
| SAWDUST FESTIVAL CORPORATION | Arts, Cultural Organizations – Multipurpose | $2,306,057 | 4.20% | 2019 |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF LAGUNA BEACH | Boys and Girls Clubs (Combined) | $1,800,788 | 8.00% | 2020 |
| FOUNDATION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING VI INC | Housing Development, Construction, Management | $1,744,530 | 0% | 2019 |
| FOUNDATION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING V INC | Housing Development, Construction, Management | $1,610,034 | 48.50% | 2019 |
| HELPING HAND WORLDWIDE INC | Emergency Assistance (Food, Clothing, Cash) | $1,492,867 | 0% | 2020 |
| NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BANKRUPTCY JUDGES | $1,416,097 | 0% | 2019 | |
| LAGUNA CANYON FOUNDATION | Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution | $1,332,196 | 7.60% | 2019 – 2020 |
| FOUNDATION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING II INC | Housing Development, Construction, Management | $1,220,160 | 68.40% | 2019 |
| PROJECT SCIENTIST | Education N.E.C. | $1,137,179 | 11.10% | 2019 |
| FESTIVAL OF ARTS OF LAGUNA BEACH | Arts, Cultural Organizations – Multipurpose | $1,043,224 | 2.50% | 2019 – 2020 |
| NEURO DEVELOPMENTAL TREATMENT ASSOCIATION INC | Neurology, Neuroscience Research | $970,284 | 0% | 2019 |
| LAGUNA BEACH HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION INC | $968,869 | 6.90% | 2020 | |
| LAGUNA BEACH EDUCATION FOUNDATION | Elementary, Secondary Education, K – 12 | $872,171 | 0% | 2019 – 2020 |
| LAGUNA BEACH SENIORS INC | $825,726 | 17.80% | 2020 | |
| GENERATION OF YOUTH FOR CHRIST | Protestant | $755,336 | 0% | 2019 – 2020 |
| SOCIAL COMPASSION IN LEGISLATION | Alliance/Advocacy Organizations | $701,989 | 14.00% | 2019 |
| MY HERO PROJECT INC | Education N.E.C. | $676,049 | 12.80% | 2019 – 2020 |
