Center for Popular Research Education and Policy

Overview

Mission

The mission of the Center for Popular Research, Education and Policy is to increase the supply of local, healthy, affordable food on the Wind River Reservation by supporting reservation-based food production.

What it reported doing in 2024

Vision: A vibrant food system on the WRR designed by community members, with more local farmers, ranchers, specialty food producers; successful market channels for them; and food based learning and career opportunities for Native youth.Key activities include: Farmers markets in Arapaho and Fort Washakie provide access to healthy, locally produced, and traditional foods.(Continued on Schedule 0)Indigenous Farm to School project: Food production and growing infrastructure development of 30 acres (Trout Creek Farm), where they're building greenhouses, learning gardens, a teacher garden, high tunnels, grow domesEducation and capacity building through workshops, programs for youth, creating ties to Indigenous foodways, preserving and preparing Indigenous foods, training for growers, producers, and community members. Support for local producers via grants, technical assistance, education, and helping them access markets and scale production.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
412099500
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020
Headquarters
Fort Washakie, WY, USA
Phone
5106379399
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 52
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 48.2%; rating input score 48
  • Program expense ratio: 75.5%; rating input score 75
  • 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 36.3%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.86; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.3; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.3% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 26.2% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 48.2% of revenue deployed · 75.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $244K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $74K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 annual filings from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Elisabeth Lewis (Executive Director): $74,306 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.