Crete Collective
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Crete Collective exists to support new and existing churches in neglected and vulnerable Black and Brown neighborhoods. We achieve this mission by providing funding and training to local church leaders.
- Income
- $376,767
- Spending
- $379,074
- Spent on programs
- 97%
- Reserves
- 11.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 0
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 86 out of 100. Higher than 72% of charities in its peer group (religion, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1597% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 75 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (religion, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 8 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a 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.
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 December 31, 2024, 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 (1)
- $366,521 spent. For 2024, we continued our mission to plant churches in neglected and vulnerable Black and Brown neighborhoods. We achieved the following:1.We continued funding our supported church plantsUpdate on the 2020 CohortIn 2020, we selected three church plants for funding support:Christ the Redeemer (Pine Bluff, AR)Acts Church (Yonkers, NY)Bluegrass Community Church (Lexington, KY)In the summer of 2022, we completed our first 2-year MOU with these plants. In 2024, we completed our second 2-year MOU, which completes our initial commitment to these church plants. Going forward, we will assess each churchs need for continued funding and stability. Acts Church and Christ the Redeemer continued as local congregations hosting public services and serving their communities.In 2024, Bluegrass Community Church closed as a congregation. Their MOU was terminated.Update on the 2021 CohortIn 2021, we selected four new church plants for funding support:Congress Heights Community Church (Washington, DC)Identity Church (Daytona, FL)The Light (West Palm Beach)The West (Houston, TX)These plants completed their initial two years of funding on June 30, 2023. They began their second 2-year MOU in July 2023.After nearly two years of planning and organizing, The Light launched its first public services and constituted as a local church in April 2023.In November 2023, Congress Heights Community Church disbanded as a congregation. Their MOU was terminated.Update on the 2022 CohortIn 2022, we selected three new church plants for funding support:Redeeming Grace (Anaheim, CA)Sojourn Southside (Houston, TX)The Way (Tampa, FL)Each of these churches continues to meet publicly and to serve their communities in a variety of ways. Both Sojourn Southside and The Way received awards from community organizations for their local service.Funding SabbaticalIn 2023, the board of The Crete Collective unanimously approved a one-year sabbatical on funding any new church plants. In 2024, the board extended the funding sabbatical for another year, with one exception. In lieu of our funding commitment to Bluegrass Community Church, the board elected to provide the remaining funding to Renewal Greensboro and Pastor Grant Yowe.In 2024, our total number of funded church plants held steady at nine (9). 2.Church Planter Training and CoachingIn 2024, we continued a regular program of training and providing coaching calls with our funded church planters and aspiring planters. We held monthly training calls with an average of 15 church planters and aspiring church planters. We provided additional coaching to approximately five (5) pastors.In 2024, we revised our training curriculum to include four tracks. We graduated our original planters and trainees to a second track focused on organizational leadership. We welcomed 15 new planters into track 1 of our training program, focused on the health and well-being of the pastor as leader.Training and coaching cover a range of ministry and leadership issues, including preaching, evangelism, pastoral care, church management, and community engagement. Planters can schedule individual coaching meetings as needed to help transfer training and teaching to their context.3.In-Person GatheringsIn 2024, we hosted two in-person training meetings. In May 2024, we held a 2.5 day gathering of church planters and their wives in Washington, DC. Planters shared updates, learned from DC-area pastors and leaders, and focused on the health of their marriages.In October 2024, we held our third national gathering of The Crete Collective in Phoenix, AZ. Nearly 100 people from both member churches and church plants attended. The meeting featured teaching from Crete Collective members, subject matter experts, and opportunities for networking and relationship building.4.FundraisingWe continued our efforts to raise funds for planting churches in neglected and vulnerable Black and Brown neighborhoods. In 2024, we raised approximately $376,749 from individuals and supporting churches.5.Board and Network DevelopmentWe added two new board members in 2024, human resources expert, Mrs. Anna Perez, and pastor PJ Tibayan of Bellflower Baptist Church. We also expanded the network with one new member church: Kingdom Life Church of Central Texas.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 2021.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.