Savory Instituteorg Inc

Overview

Mission

Large-scale restoration of the worlds grasslands through the training and practice of holistic management and holistic decision making. Changing land management practices to combat the effects of climate change, provides solutions for food security, water security and to combat poverty and economic challenges.

What it reported doing in 2024

Training hub network - support and growth of the savory global network -- a distributed nodal network of accredited training hubs that serve their region to equip and support local farmers, ranchers, and pastoralists in regenerative land-use practices adapted to fit localized conditions. The global network is our deployment mechanism for empowering local land managers to take holistic approaches that regenerate desertifying grasslands across the globe for food, climate, and water security, and lifting farming communities out of poverty. Programmatic activities include hub and field educator recruitment, onboarding, and support; creation and evolution of teaching materials; annual (or more frequent) network gatherings for continued education and collaboration; and supply chain programs that connect verified regenerative supply to relevant industries.special programs: training, consultation and implementation support provided directly by savory institute for large-scale land regeneration projects. Most of these projects focus on developing and under-developed countries and partner with outside organizations (governments, NGO's). Typical special projects will target long-term benefits for communities in need of the food, water and economic security benefits of improvements in community land management practices, and have a large focus on community building, capacity building, training for long-term project success.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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
454134319
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2012
Headquarters
Boulder, CO, USA
Phone
3033279759
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 65
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.7%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 78.7%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $87.14 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2.1%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.65; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.2%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.5% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.7% of revenue deployed · 78.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $154K · 6 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $103K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 annual filings from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • DANIELA IBARRA-HOWELL (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER /): $153,658 total reported compensation
  • JIM SNYDER (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $153,418 total reported compensation
  • JODY BUTTERFIELD (CHAIR / SECRETARY): $51,348 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.