Covenant Pathways
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 473515588
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2016
- Location
- Vanderwagen, NM, USA
- Phone
- 5058708497
- Rating
- 72
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Children's, Youth Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $405,603
- Expenses
- $329,721
- Assets
- $346,378
- Liabilities
- $10,007
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- James Skeet (Executive Director)
- Byron McMillan (board president)
Highest reported compensation
- James Skeet (Executive Director): $41,137 total reported compensation
- Joyce Skeet (Program Director): $39,016 total reported compensation
- Natana Begay (Business Manager): $28,126 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Covenant Pathways farm (Spirit Farm) was developed to be a living example of how we can recover and reclaim traditional farming and spiritual practices, along with modern practices, to establish resiliency in our way of life, reducing the dependency on the very food system that is harming us. Spirit Farm continues to develop the demonstration farm that uses all organic practices, including microbiological composting, to heal the hard high desert southwestern soil. Our mission is to generate opportunities that impact individuals and communities with Native traditions that attach the human spirit to the Earth. In addition, we provide additional opportunities for growers to increase the quantity and quality of their produce, as well as use less water, which is a critical step when growing food in our climate.
What it reported doing in 2024
Community Education/Training: Provided bi-monthly workshops in the community and at our farm to create awareness and train others on soil microbes and how important they are to healing the soil, growing nutrient rich foods, restoring the natural water cycles and removing excess carbon from the atmosphere, Indigenous regenerative agriculture, microbiological composting trainings, food preservation, growing in a greenhouse, animal husbandry, etc. With extensive experience in both traditional Navajo growing practices as well as regenerative farming techniques, with the expertise required to assist growers, Covenant Pathways equips local indigenous growers start and expand their farms, sharing much of the 50+ tons of compost made annually on site. The organization also provides materials and hands on assistance to growers in several nearby communities. Visitors, native and non-native come to the farm to tour and experience the self-sufficiency of the farm.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 82% 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 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: 57
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 68
- Sustainability: 52
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 59.2%; rating input score 59
- Program expense ratio: 72.8%; rating input score 73
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 22
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 18.7%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.05; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 32.9%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 59.2% of revenue deployed · 72.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $240K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $41K · 7 people listed
- Consistency: 39 of 40 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.