Truong Buu Diep Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
Our mission is to preserve and uphold a sacred space dedicated to honoring and advancing the canonization process of Father Truong Buu Diep a Catholic priest who was martyred during World War II in Vietnam for his courageous act of saving 70 innocent lives. Following his death countless individuals have reported experiencing graces and miracles attributed to his intercession. As a result an increasing number of faithful believers regard Father Diep as a powerful spiritual intercessor who conveys their prayers to God in times of hardship. Consequently this site has become a revered place of pilgrimage serving as both a temple and a sanctuary where people come to pray and seek comfort through Father Dieps spiritual presence.
- Income
- $398,318
- Spending
- $371,852
- Spent on programs
- 57%
- Reserves
- -12.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 7
- Volunteers
- 49
- Highest pay
- $91,000, chief executive officer
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 33 out of 100. Higher than 4% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 165% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 7% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1558% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 64 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
5 of 250 of 3 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $50,471 spent. ather Truong Buu Diep was born on January 1 1897 in An Giang Vietnam and ordained in 1924. Despite the dangers of war in 1945 he chose to remain with his parishioners declaring I live among my parishioners and I will die among them. On March 12 1946 he was captured and sacrificed his life to save over 70 members of Tac Say Parish. He was buried in the sacristy of Tac Say Church Bac Lieu Province. The Truong Buu Diep Foundation TBDF is a faith-based nonprofit established on August 16 2011 by John Nguyen and Holly Pham of Fountain Valley California in gratitude for blessings they attribute to Father Diep. TBDFs mission is to honor his legacy by 1 sharing testimonies of his intercession through media and 2 providing community service in his name. The foundation offers a space for prayer and reflection and hosts a monthly prayer session on the first Thursday to pray for intentions left by visitors.
- $13,031 spent. To raise awareness about Father Truong Buu Diep the Foundation has implemented a comprehensive media outreach strategy including: Recording testimonies from individuals who voluntarily share their experiences of blessings received through prayer with Father Diep then producing weekly video programs shared on Facebook YouTube Instagram Twitter Yelp Google LinkedIn and the official TBDF websites. Maintaining and developing bilingual websites - www.truongbuudiep.org and www.tbdf.org - in both Vietnamese and English. Publishing regular news updates about Foundation activities. Printing and distributing materials such as Father Dieps portraits in three sizes annual books bilingual booklets brochures and leaflets. Providing complimentary water bottles from Costco to visitors. All of these materials and services are offered free of charge including shipping for those who request them from out of state. Many visitors return to express their gratitude and some choose to become voluntary witnesses to Father Dieps graces.
- $150,408 spent. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic our office was closed for nearly two years from the end of 2020 to the end of 2021. Following the reopening the number of visitors declined significantly creating challenges in sustaining our workforce in the post-pandemic period. However we tried to keep key staff to operate the daily tasks of TBDF.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 2013.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.