Arboretum San Antonio

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
873625684
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone
9084003300
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Botanical Gardens, Arboreta and Botanical Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,516,088
Expenses
$1,194,748
Assets
$2,490,840
Liabilities
$4,763

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Thomas Corser (Chief Executive Officer)

Highest reported compensation

  • Thomas Corser (Chief Executive Officer): $189,583 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Arboretum San Antonio (ASA), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2021, is building a world-class arboretum on the former Republic Golf Course in the heart of San Antonios historic Southside. The first in San Antonio and the second largest in the state, the Arboretum will be a leading recreational, ecological, economic, and educational resource for residents and visitors of all ages in the San Antonio area, and a critical part of the regional infrastructure, bringing equity balance to an area severely lacking in green space, mitigating heat and air pollution, advancing environmental and biological research, educating our community about the ecological and health benefits provided by trees, and beautifying the Arboretum area and throughout the city. Most important, the Arboretum, will be the center of a powerful movement to define San Antonio as a city of trees and one that prioritizes the natural world and the health and wellness of our residents. The mission of ASA is to esta

What it reported doing in 2024

ASA has selected nationally-renowned landscape and design firm Sasaki to develop a master plan for the design of the Arboretum. While the 188-acre space has not yet been transformed into the Arboretum, the natural area is already ideal for promoting physically and mentally healthy lifestyles. Research confirms the significant physical, mental, and cognitive health benefits experienced by time spent in nature, including decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression, improving mood, reducing stress, and increasing self-esteem. ASA is currently developing walking thrive as our climate changes, and a comprehensive roster of nature-based and health and is under development. Once developed, the Arboretum will feature pedestrian and bicycle trails, recreational amenities and activities, a tree nursery to propagate native and naturalized trees that are able to adapt and thrive as our climate changes, and a comprehensive roster of nature-based and health and wellness bilingual education programs to be offered in the Arboretum and targeted locations around San Antonio. ASA will also offer an outdoor educational curriculum pertaining to the science of trees to be developed through partnerships with regional schools and youth organizations, and environmental research opportunities for botanists, biologists, arborists, and other natural resource professionals that will enhance knowledge of nature-based solutions and native species relevant to the San Antonio River Basin and surrounding areas. Additionally, the Arboretum will be an important expansion of San Antonios greenway network by connecting to the Howard W. Peak Greenway Trails System, a network of approximately 82 miles.

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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 67
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 62.8%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 79.7%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 21.2%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.08; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.9%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 73.2% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -52.6% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.7% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 62.8% of revenue deployed · 79.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $952K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $190K · 13 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.