DALLAS IS GARDENING INC DBA Lake Highlands Community Garden
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 270326758
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2019–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025
- Location
- Dallas, TX, USA
- Phone
- 2149228523
- Rating
- 55
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Adult, Continuing Education
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $31,544
- Expenses
- $27,818
- Assets
- $39,091
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Ann West (President & Board Member)
- AL Nickerson (Vice President & Board Member)
People named in this filing
- Ann West (President & Board Member)
- AL Nickerson (Vice President & Board Member)
- Brooks Scharff (Secretary, Treasurer, & Board Member)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The organization is known as Lake Highlands Community Garden (LHCG). The primary charitable mission is fostering environmental stewardship, community engagement, and food security through hands-on educational programs and sustainable gardening initiatives. We strive to enhance local ecosystems by supporting biodiversity, providing access to healthy food, and promoting eco-friendly practices. Our programs include the restoration of natural habitats and the maintenance of a thriving community garden. Additionally, we grow and donate thousands of pounds of produce annually to alleviate food insecurity in our community. By offering educational opportunities and hands-on involvement, we empower individuals to make a positive impact on their environment and the well-being of their neighbors.
What it reported doing in 2025
Herb Garden, Bee Sanctuary, and Pollinator Beds - The herb garden, bee sanctuary, and pollinator beds provide meaningful benefits to the broader community by supporting biodiversity and strengthening local ecosystems. By creating habitats for bees and other pollinators, these spaces contribute to the health of our local food systems and the sustainability of plant life. The garden also serves as an educational resource, offering opportunities for community members to learn about conservation, sustainable gardening, and the importance of pollinators. In addition, these areas foster community engagement, environmental stewardship, and increased access to green space, all of which enhance overall community well-being
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 66% 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: 31
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Sustainability: 61
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 30.1%; rating input score 30
- Program expense ratio: 31.6%; rating input score 32
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 11.8%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.41; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -2.3% per year; rating input score 0; 30th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 30.1% of revenue deployed · 31.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 5 filed program accomplishments · $9K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 2 filed schedules
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 30/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 32/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.