Citizen Farmers Nfp

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
862969622
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Lake Forest, IL, USA
Phone
3122963345
Rating
55
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,105,225
Expenses
$1,308,758
Assets
$875,177
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BARRETT DAVIE (CHAIRMAN & PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • BARRETT DAVIE (CHAIRMAN & PRESIDENT)
  • JIM PRESCHLACK (TREASURER & SECRETARY)
  • GRAHAM COOK (DIRECTOR)

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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The organization is recruiting leading illinoisans to place civic virtue at the center of their lives and to support the cultivation and rebuilding of grassroots organizations and individuals to turn around Illinois.

What it reported doing in 2025

During 2025, the organization provided support to local grassroots organizations in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin by fostering community-based partnerships, helping strengthen local capacity, and advancing collaborative efforts aligned with its charitable objectives.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% 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 program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 33
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 31
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 23.8%; rating input score 24
  • Program expense ratio: 38.2%; rating input score 38
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st 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: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 37.8%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.67; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 62% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 62.1% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 78.4% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 23.8% of revenue deployed · 38.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 3 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $500K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 13 of 13 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 24/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 38/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 33/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.