4Roots Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
474062821
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Orlando, FL, USA
Phone
4076874344
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Corporate Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,588,357
Expenses
$5,734,922
Assets
$26,035,376
Liabilities
$5,883,015

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • THOMAS M WARD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • JOHN RIVERS (CEO & BOARD CHAIRMAN)

Highest reported compensation

  • MONICA AGGARWAL (CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER): $183,184 total reported compensation
  • THOMAS M WARD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $161,808 total reported compensation
  • FRANKLIN F SNELSON (GRANTS DIRECTOR): $155,549 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The purpose of 4roots foundation, inc. (d/b/a 4roots) is to provide philanthropic support to various communities and/or individuals in need and to invest in food and farming initiatives that improve the health of our community.

What it reported doing in 2024

The 4Roots Caf, located at the Orlando Science Center, advances the Foundation's mission to build healthy communities by increasing access to fresh, nutritious, and sustainably sourced food. In partnership with local farmers and producers, including the 4Roots Farm Campus, the caf offers meals prepared with fresh ingredients that promote healthy eating habits and strengthen connections between consumers and local agriculture. The caf serves as a community resource that demonstrates the importance of a healthy and sustainable food system through a plant-forward menu featuring locally sourced products whenever possible. By supporting regional growers and emphasizing responsibly produced food, the program helps strengthen the local food economy, promote environmental stewardship, and improve awareness of the relationship between food, health, and community well-being. Through its accessible location and community-centered approach, the caf provides families, students, and visitors with opportunities to experience nutritious food choices while supporting the Foundation's broader mission of advancing health, sustainability, and food system resilience throughout Central Florida.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 68% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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.

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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 50
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 55.9%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 49.9%; rating input score 50
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 92.1%; rating input score 92; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2.6%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.54; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.7%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 24.9% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 23.3% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 31.1% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 55.9% of revenue deployed · 49.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $183K · 15 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $232K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 16 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 14 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 56/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 50/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.