Central Pennsylvania Conservancy Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 232191037
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Carlisle, PA, USA
- Phone
- 7172414360
- Rating
- 71
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Land Resources Conservation
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,681,756
- Expenses
- $88,143
- Assets
- $4,317,752
- Liabilities
- $21,743
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROBERT SHAW (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- LAURA MORAN DANKO (Pres/Interim ED): $3,150 total reported compensation
- JASON ANDREW BEALE (Executive Dir.): $2,142 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 mission of Central Pennsylvania Conservancy (CPC) is to acquire, preserve, and protect local land and natural resources in a five-county, South-Central PA region. Our vision is to create a local network of permanently protected and preserved lands by fostering a community committed to conservation and acquiring key lands and easements.The organization is an accredited land trust with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, a mark of distinction in land conservation. Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards of sound finances, ethical conduct, responsible governance, and lasting stewardship. They uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent.
What it reported doing in 2024
Land Protection Program. CPC's Land Protection Committee directs the land protection activities of the organization within a five-county service area: Cumberland, Franklin, Perry, Dauphin, and Juniata Counties. CPC has prioritized the protection of key landscapes in our region: the Kittatinny Ridge Corridor and the South Mountain Landscape, targeting healthy forests, wildlife habitat, watershed and riparian protection, agricultural preservation, public access for outdoor recreation, and culturally important areas that define our natural heritage. The committee also oversees stewardship and annual monitoring of 31 conservation easement properties and 5 nature preserves. During 2024, CPC purchased 900+ acres of Camp Tuckahoe that will be transferred from CPC to DCNR and related entities for public use.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 90% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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 most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 40
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 92
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 3.1%; rating input score 3
- Program expense ratio: 82.1%; rating input score 82
- Fundraising efficiency: $620.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 96; 96th 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: 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: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 96.7%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 48.99; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 3.1% of revenue deployed · 82.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $72K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $3K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 3/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 47/100.