Amigos De Los Rios

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
841628453
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Pasadena, CA, USA
Phone
6267911611
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and Fund Distribution

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,334,776
Expenses
$3,299,503
Assets
$2,563,693
Liabilities
$1,812,608

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CLAIRE ROBINSON (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • CLAIRE ROBINSON (PRESIDENT): $162,224 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to create a regional emerald necklace of sustainable open "multi-benefit" network of open spaces along urban rivers corridors, parks and schools to connect the "mountains to the sea"-protecting the environment and public health while strengthening community life and responding to climate change challenges for the benefit of current and future generations. We are committed to designing quality public environments that revitalize urban neighborhoods within economically disadvantaged southern California communities. We believe that creating parks and trails, green school campuses and improving the built environment in metro los angeles is the best form of preventive health for urban residents: equitable access to recreation is a key factor in protecting the public health.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2005, we outlined a vision for a regional emerald necklace of multi benefit parks for park deficient areas of east los angeles county. Since then, we have been working nonstop to realize this vision. We have formed an alliance of public agencies, 48 in number, known as the emerald necklace coalition. We convene and collaborate with organizations from the public, private, and community sectors, and act as a catalyst, we continually work to bring about the development of high quality natural infrastructure to barren and neglected public spaces including parks, trails, school campuses and flood control channels. Our projects impact many communities in east los angeles county providing education on the rich natural and cultural history of the area. At any given time we have multiple landscape conservation, urban greening and environmental leadership implementation projects in process. Currently, we have a major "emerald necklace" multi objective greenway in development along the rio hondo and lower los angeles river and at whittier narrow recreation area. Highlights of 2024 include work on: 1) watershed discovery campuses-living school yard within the monrovia, pasadena, el rancho and other school districts. These projects include community-based planning and implementation of multi benefit natural infrastructure improvements on various public school elementary, middle and high school campuses for the mental health, physical fitness, academic performance and environmental resource benefits they confer to school communities. 2) emerald necklace multi-benefit parks & greenway projects on the rio hondo, san gabriel rivers and at whittier narrows- including invasive plant removal- habitat restoration, urban forestry, wayfinding and interpretive elements. 3) san gabriel mountains/angeles national forest multi cultural wayfinding and interpretive elements and related educational programs. 4) emerald necklace weekly volunteer stewardship events working with over 140 schools, community organizations. And local businesses to complete and care for the emerald necklace urban greening projects.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 82% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 66
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95.9%; rating input score 96
  • Program expense ratio: 96.9%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: $123.6 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • 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: 1.1%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.78; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.71; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.9%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 95.9% of revenue deployed · 96.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $162K · 6 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.