Charities United States Education Friends of Laguna Seca
Friends of Laguna Seca logo

Friends of Laguna Seca

To support the monterey county laguna seca recreation area and its related facilities, activities and events.

Salinas, CA EIN 812822543 · IRS Sign up to see website
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73
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
73/100 · methodology

About Friends of Laguna Seca

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Founded
Headquarters
Salinas, CA
Foundation type
Supporting organization (509(a)(3))
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
large

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 2016

Mission

To support the monterey county laguna seca recreation area and its related facilities, activities and events.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
📚 Education
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.
SDG 4 SDG 4 · Quality Education Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar education in United States
Program spending This charity: 69%
Peer average: 91%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 73
Peer average: 93

Red flags

· All clear
IRS revocation history
Open investigations
Governance scandals
Related-party deals
Excessive exec comp

Where every $1 goes

$0.69
Program expenses$0.69 ($4.6 million)

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Friends of Laguna Seca is a registered education nonprofit based in Salinas, CA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 2016 and has been operating for 10 years. Its EIN is 812822543. It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 73/100 (Strong transparency), indicating well-documented governance, financials, and contact details. This is below the average of 93/100 for education charities in United States. The organization reports $16M in annual revenue. No red flags have been detected.

Friends of Laguna Seca has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 73/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 73 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for education charities in United States is 93/100.

Friends of Laguna Seca is located in Salinas, CA, United States. The organization was established in 2016 and has been active for 10 years.

Based on official tax filings, Friends of Laguna Seca has $16M in annual revenue. It allocates 69% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 91% for education charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $7M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Friends of Laguna Seca is classified as a Education organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Supporting organization (509(a)(3)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $16M in annual revenue.

No red flags have been detected for Friends of Laguna Seca. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

Friends of Laguna Seca has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 73/100 (Strong transparency) and no red flags have been detected, which suggests it is a well-documented organization. It is regulated by the IRS. 69% of expenses go to programs. The peer average is 91%. Visit the Friends of Laguna Seca profile on GiveRadar for full details before deciding. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

Among education charities registered in United States: Friends of Laguna Seca's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 73/100 is below the peer average of 93/100. It allocates 69% of expenses to programs, below the peer average of 91%. Its annual revenue of $16M is well above the peer average of $7M.

Yes, donations to Friends of Laguna Seca are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Friends of Laguna Seca is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 812822543, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Verified against 5 official sources, last refreshed .

Annual revenue
$10M-$100M
69% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2024) why this matters
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Filing history

3 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2018, FY2017.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Leadership

RO
Ross Merrill
President

Officers & trustees (1)

Source: Public filings

RO
Ross M••••••
President
Full names, contact details & compensation

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$16.4M revenue
FY2024
IRS_990
Form filed
$0.0M revenue
FY2018
PROPUBLICA
Form filed
$0.0M revenue
FY2017
PROPUBLICA

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Peer charities

Other education in United States, by integrity assessment

Charity Score Revenue Program %
Friends of Laguna Seca This page 73 $16.4 million 69%
River City Education Services 93 $59.0 million 99%
Compass Academy Charter School Inc 93 $17.7 million 86%
Lee Montessori Public Charter School 93 $16.1 million 93%
P G Chambers School Inc 93 $16.7 million 97%
Kingsman Academy Public Charter School 93 $16.5 million 89%
The Association of Illiana Christian High School of … 93 $20.0 million 92%
Code Org 93 $25.2 million 85%
Mount Vernon Nazarene University 93 $69.2 million 87%

Sources and verification

Refreshed

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 1 disclosed in the public registry.
Supplementary verification
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 12, 2026
Profile completeness
75%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Operating reach
Countries where programs run not specified

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about Friends of Laguna Seca

What is Friends of Laguna Seca?
Friends of Laguna Seca is a education supporting organization (509(a)(3)) based in Salinas, United States. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
When was Friends of Laguna Seca founded?
Friends of Laguna Seca was founded in 2016.
Who leads Friends of Laguna Seca?
Ross Merrill serves as President.
Where is Friends of Laguna Seca located?
Headquartered in Salinas, United States.
What is Friends of Laguna Seca's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $10M-$100M. 69% of expenses go to program services.
Is Friends of Laguna Seca trustworthy?
Friends of Laguna Seca has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 73 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Friends of Laguna Seca's registration number?
IRS EIN: 812822543.
What is Friends of Laguna Seca's website?
https://weathertechraceway.com/