Chester Agricultural Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
832899262
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chester, NY, USA
Phone
2032400563
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$277,859
Expenses
$721,103
Assets
$3,497,544
Liabilities
$245,093

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BEATRICE STERN (PRESIDENT)
  • LUCINDA POINDEXTER RESIGNED (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • SARA KATZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • SARA KATZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $110,000 total reported compensation
  • LUCINDA POINDEXTER RESIGNED (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $3,269 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To help grow and provide an equitable and inclusive regional food system where land and housing is affordable to diverse, aspiring farmers and farm workers, low income communities and marginalized constituencies, where food is accessible to all and where unique soils and the ecosystem are stewarded and respected.

What it reported doing in 2024

The organization operates two retail farm grocery stores. Both sell crops and other produce produced by its own tenant farmers as well as other local farms. Sales are made using a multi-tier price model in order to assist low income families by offering them produce at lower prices. Both stores aim to promote racial and economic justice in the food system as well as address food insecurity and help build food sovereignity. During the year, over 1,000 individuals/families were served of which more than 50% were either severely income constrained or facing substantial financial hardship.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% 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

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: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 71.6%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $24.76 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

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: 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -159.5%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.85; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.7%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 31.4% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -70.9% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 71.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $516K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $110K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.