Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

What it reported doing in 2024

ASAPs three programmatic areas are the Local Food Campaign, Growing Minds program and Local Food Research Center. The Local Food Campaigns capacity building work gives farmers and buyers skills, tools, resources, and connections they need to succeed. The Appalachian Grown regional branding and certification program certified over 850 farms. Those farms gain access to promotional and packaging materials to identify farm products as certified local. More than 450 partner businesses including grocers, restaurants, distributors, hospitals, colleges, and public schools also participate in the program. Local Food Campaign organizers help make connections between farmers and buyers, share stories about food and farms in our communities, and promote local food where consumers shop and dine. This includes events such as ASAPs Annual Farm Tour and publishing the Local Food Guide, of which 70,000 copies were printed and distributed. The program hosts its annual ASAP Business of Farming Conference, delivering over a dozen workshops to hundreds of participants. ASAP operates a weekly farmers market in downtown Asheville and assists more than 100 farmers markets to understand best practices for management, promotion, and navigation of the regulatory environment. To expand participation in the local food movement, ASAP operates two incentive programs, including Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables and a Farm Fresh Produce Prescription program to provide eligible participants with weekly incentives for local fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. In 2024 the program supported farms with relief and recovery resources in response to Hurricane Helene, including offering immediate need funds and and reinstating Appalachian Farms Feeding Families to connect farmers with alternative market outlets.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 68.6%; rating input score 69
• Program expense ratio: 85.8%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $21.99 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 45.8%; rating input score 46; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 20.5%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.84; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.3%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 18.1% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings