Brackenridge Park Conservancy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
263416330
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2013
Location
San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone
2108261412
Rating
58
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Parks and Playgrounds

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,267,468
Expenses
$880,859
Assets
$8,773,994
Liabilities
$3,142,903

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Chris Maitre (Chief Executive Officer)
  • Timothy L Swan (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Chris Maitre (Chief Executive Officer): $190,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Brackenridge Park Conservancy is a steward of Brackenridge Park's natural, historic, educational, and recreational resources and an advocate for their preservation and enhancement for the benefit of current and future generations.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2025, Brackenridge Park Conservancy achieved significant progress in advancing park enhancement, community engagement, and organizational growth. Key accomplishments included the launch of the Nature Playscape project, an inclusive, nature-based play area developed with community input and designed to support universal accessibility. The Conservancy also strengthened its operational capacity by relocating to a larger office space, enabling a growing team to collaborate more effectively and better support the organizations expanding programs and initiatives. Marketing and outreach efforts also demonstrated strong momentum, including the launch of a new website, a 50% increase in news coverage related to the park, and a 2030% increase in social media followers. Fundraising efforts were equally successful, exceeding the capital campaign goal with more than $4.7 million committed to support free community programming and ongoing park improvements. Community participation remained central to the Conservancys impact throughout the year. The organization hosted more than 22 events, welcoming over 19,000 people into the park and strengthening Brackenridge Parks role as a dynamic gathering place for residents and visitors. Signature events, including Party in the Park: Miraflores, Polo in the Park, and Family Fishing Day, advanced cultural celebration, wellness, and environmental stewardship. The volunteer program also completed a strong inaugural year, supporting 33 events and contributing 2,429 service hours. These efforts resulted in the removal of 1,172 bags of trash and provided critical support for large-scale community events. Through continued wellness programming, educational tours, and partnerships with local organizations, the Conservancy further reinforced its commitment to preserving Brackenridge Parks historic and cultural legacy while expanding access, engagement, and enjoyment for the San Antonio community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 82% 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.

The verdict

MIXED - 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 few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 36
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 25.7%; rating input score 26
  • Program expense ratio: 48.2%; rating input score 48
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 61.2%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.96; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.36; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21.6%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.3% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 25.7% of revenue deployed · 48.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $425K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $190K · 19 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 26/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 48/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.