Community Agroecology Network

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
753003372
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Phone
8314593619
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Rural Economic Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$733,511
Expenses
$789,204
Assets
$1,661,328
Liabilities
$848,363

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Roseann Cohen (Executive Dir.): $110,615 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Community Agroecology Network's (CAN) mission is to develop a network comprised of rural communities in Latin America and U.S. consumers that work together to support self-sufficiency and sustainable farming practices.

What it reported doing in 2024

CAN's network provides rural communities in Mexico, Central and South America and California with the tools to become economically viable through agriculture while also benefiting the environment through: Action Research: Farm-based research involving investigators and farmers with information generated from within and provided to the community. This year CAN facilitated action research initiatives in California focused on intergenerational knowledge transmission about agroecological and food preparation practices as well as collective experimentation on soils regeneration.Education: Community education, technical assistance, leadership development, consumer education, and ongoing exchanges and participation between the member communities. This year CAN held an international youth exchange focused on food sovereignty in Peru. CAN also raised awareness on U.S. campuses and at local farmers markets about agroecology and solidarity economies. CAN also facilitated a learning community in southern Mexico supporting youth learning about agroecology and solidarity economies. Marketing: Development of producer-controlled markets that support local communities and create direct links with consumers. CAN has developed a "Fair Trade Direct" coffee marketing system. By linking coffee co-ops in Nicaragua and Mexico with U.S. consumers, CAN helps farmers receive and just and sustainable price for their coffee. Through linking growers and consumers in a "Global Village Market," CAN connects economic viability with ecological farming practices, including transitioning to organic production and reforestation.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 80% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 90
  • Transparency & Controls: 46
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97.1%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 88.4%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.07 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -7.6%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.11; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.51; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97.1% of revenue deployed · 88.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $697K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $111K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 24 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes foreign activity
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.