Cape Fear Botanical Garden
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 561673281
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Fayetteville, NC, USA
- Phone
- 9104860221
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Botanical Gardens, Arboreta and Botanical Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,878,230
- Expenses
- $2,950,214
- Assets
- $11,415,163
- Liabilities
- $401,690
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MARTHA LERARIO (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- MANDY BROWN (SECRETARY)
- BEEGIE CAVINESS (VP OF DEVELO)
- ROBERT FOX (TREASURER)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Cape fear botanical garden serves this region as a center for: enrichment, inspiration and enjoyment of nature; the collection, culture and aesthetic display of plants; encouragement of environmental stewardship; conservation, education and research; the preservation of our agricultural heritage; form community arts and culture; and engagement and involvement of the community.
What it reported doing in 2024
Enrichment, inspiration and enjoyment of nature; the collection, culture and aesthetic display of plants; encouragement of environmental stewardship; conservation, education and research; the preservation of our agricultural heritage; for community arts and culture; and engagement and involvement of the community.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 65% 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
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and some filed totals do not add up.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 61
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 94
- Sustainability: 80
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 61.9%; rating input score 62
- Program expense ratio: 80%; rating input score 80
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 13th 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: 6 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 23.9%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.87; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 61.9% of revenue deployed · 80% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 12 people listed
- Consistency: 25 of 26 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule D land buildings reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.