Black River Environmental Improvement Association Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 133243285
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Great Neck, NY, USA
- Phone
- 2123030200
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Philanthropy, Voluntarism, and Grantmaking Foundations N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $456,543
- Expenses
- $432,496
- Assets
- $17,842,297
- Liabilities
- $75,883
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MATTHEW ELLS (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- DIANE HAUSSERMAN (ASSISTANT CONTROLLER): $6,580 total reported compensation
- THOMAS BROWN (CHAIRMAN): $1,450 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Black river environmental improvement association, inc. ("breia") is organized for exclusively charitable and educational purposes and operates for the benefit of the nature conservancy, the adirondack land trust, inc., and one or more such organizations which operate primarily to conserve, maintain and enhance the scenic, historical, wilderness, wildlife, open space and outdoor recreation values of the adirondack and tug hill areas.
What it reported doing in 2024
Outreach services - breia supported a program to sponsor field trips for students of area schools giving them opportunities to mountain bike, cross country ski, snowshoe, and learn about animals and the environment. Breia's operations center and trail system are used as part of the program. In addition, breia trails are used by other organizations for various ski programs. Breia also provides monetary support for organizations with similar missions in connection with these services.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Investment-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
- 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 74
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 63
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88.9%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 73.9%; rating input score 74
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 5.3%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 41.25; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.9%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.9% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 88.9% of revenue deployed · 73.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $320K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $7K · 10 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 4 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.