Belle Isle Conservancy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 237348118
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Detroit, MI, USA
- Phone
- 3133317760
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Community, Neighborhood Development
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,233,067
- Expenses
- $1,913,946
- Assets
- $4,406,525
- Liabilities
- $219,779
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
32 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MEAGAN ELLIOTT (PRESIDENT &)
Highest reported compensation
- SUMMER RITNER (COO): $146,697 total reported compensation
- KATY LABARRIE (C D O): $120,162 total reported compensation
- MEAGAN ELLIOTT (PRESIDENT &): $98,784 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Form 990 - organization's mission the mission of the belle isle conservancy (the organization) is to protect, preserve, restore, and enhance the natural environment, historic structures and unique character of belle isle as a public park for the enjoyment of all - now and forever. The organization strives to bring private support to belle isle, and works closely with all levels of government, making for a unique public private partnership on behalf of the park. Working with a legion of volunteers and generous donors, the organization has successfully renovated the historic horse stables roof, upgraded amenities at sunset point, reopened the belle isle aquarium, supported special projects and improvements at the conservatory, restored monuments, raised matching dollars for various grants and capital improvements across the park, organized thousands of volunteers to tackle invasive species at that park and to keep the park and its waterways free of litter, provided programming opportunit
What it reported doing in 2024
All other accomplishments other program services: are those services that improve belle isle park for the enjoyment of all, but are not specifically covered under historic preservation, aquarium and conservatory, or environmental stewardship ( i.e. Regular repairs and maintenance, consulting services, etc.). Volunteer services: the belle isle conservancy recruits, manages, and trains volunteers who are serving at belle isle park. These volunteers work in myriad capacities such as facility greeters at the aquarium and conservatory, stewardship volunteers who help keep the park clean and safe, educational volunteers who help us implement our educational fieldtrips, event volunteers who help to plan and facilitate community events and fundraising events, community voulnteers, stewards, and more. Community engagement: community engagement is at the heart of the organization's work and greatly supports the work of mdnr and the city of detroit.it is essential to understand the priorities of residents who own this beloved public space and the belle isle conservancy prides itself on not only strong engagement during planning processes, but a consistently open "front door" to hear from residents about their experiences on a daily basis. Environmental stewardship: belle isle's 982 acres include a large wetland forest, a system of canals and interior lakes in this park that is itself an island, and trees and other plantings throughout the heavily used picnic and playground areas. Through the conservancy's keep belle isle beautiful program we have been able to mobilize hundreds of volunteers each year to help keep the island, it's waterways, and the detroit river free of harmful rubbish and microplastics. In 2019, with help from the epa, the conservancy grew this program to form the bi-national detroit river coalition, a group of entities in canada and detroit helping to preserve our waterways. Over 50,000 daffodils have been planted throughout the park through a volunteer effort and with support from the Michigan department of natural resources. Students that attend our educational programming also help in monitoring the vernal ponds on the island and assist in water collection and testing in the canals of the island. We also coordinate with the mdnr on supporting the strongest environmental practices for drainage systems and shoreline work for any captial initiative underway.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 79% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 53
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 91
- Sustainability: 62
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 54.4%; rating input score 54
- Program expense ratio: 60.8%; rating input score 61
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.13 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 14.3%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.3; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 19.1%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 54.4% of revenue deployed · 60.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 24 of 24 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $147K · 32 people listed
- Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- 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 54/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.