Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 331140762
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2008
- Location
- Detroit, MI, USA
- Phone
- 3133453663
- Rating
- 70
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Nutrition
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,596,070
- Expenses
- $2,460,969
- Assets
- $7,413,928
- Liabilities
- $1,830,298
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Shakara Tyler (Co-Executive Director)
- GiAnna D Cheairs (Co-Executive Director)
- Nikolette Barnes (Vice President)
- Erin Bevel (President)
Highest reported compensation
- Shakara Tyler (Co-Executive Director): $70,467 total reported compensation
- GiAnna D Cheairs (Co-Executive Director): $70,467 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
DBCFSN works to build self-reliance and food security in Detroits black community by influencing public policy promoting urban agriculture, promoting healthy eating and encouraging youth to pursue careers in food related fields.
What it reported doing in 2024
Our program activities included: the D-Town Farm Program, a seven-acre organic farm located in the City of Detroits Rouge Park, where we grow more than 30 different fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are sold at farmers markets and to wholesale customers. The farm features three hoop houses for extended-season growing, beekeeping, large-scale composting, farm tours, and an annual harvest festival. The Food Warriors Youth Development Program engages young Detroiters in experiences that teach them about food security and food justice, as well as the value of gardening, healthy eating, and exercise. The Detroit Food Commons is in the final stages of construction and is a project that will house the Detroit Peoples Food Co-op, a full-service, cooperatively owned grocery store that will be located in Detroits North End.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 92% 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 41
- Transparency & Controls: 93
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 56
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 45.8%; rating input score 46
- Program expense ratio: 47.3%; rating input score 47
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 7th 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 5.2%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.01; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.25; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.7%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 15.8% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 24.4% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 45.8% of revenue deployed · 47.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $70K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 22 of 23 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 46/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 47/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 39/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.