Downtown Austin Parks Llc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
813205548
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
5124691766
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Reported finances

Revenue
$172,322
Expenses
$191,944
Assets
$343,120
Liabilities
$52,706

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Xavier Pena (Director)
  • Kevin Brown (Director)
  • SaulPaul (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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Downtown Austin Parks' mission is to create a vibrant, historic, and active spaces at the hear of Austin, Texas community through quality management of public space and creative programing that is based on historic relevance of Republic Square. Downtown Ausin Parks LLC also recognizes the imprtance of not over-programing the parks; leave plenty of time for people to simply enjoy the space as a piece of respite where they can relax, enjoy the outdoor, meet friends and family, and socialize.

What it reported doing in 2024

Republic Square has been downtown's central gathering place since Austin's founding. The park provide a shared backyard for those who live and work in the area. Parks and greenspaces are a critical component of the downtown economy. The mental and physical health benefits of the natual world are vital to our humanity. We did coninue hosting the Sustainable Food Center's Downtown Farmers' Market each weekend, which supported local farmers and provided the community with a safe, healthy alternative to grocery stores. Elevate inclusive and engaging programs and experiences in downtown parks and public spaces. Substantially expand and coordinate programming in downtown parks and trails. Regularly sponsor and produce arts, cultural and music events and programs in the public space. Use activation metrics to monitor and improve results. We did extensive lawn beautification and garden restoration process to make Republic Square more resilient to foot traffic and more sustainable in the face of climate change. Improvement included: Lawn re-sodding, Stormwater drainage upgrades, native and climate-adaptive plants added, electrical upgrades, dog waste disposal stations with custom artworks, and park benches and lean-on rail near bus stops.Provided regular horticulture, operations, programming and maintenance and security and clean ambassador program at Republic Square. Republic Square hosted over 90,000 people at events in 2024.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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 the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.1%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 81.8%; rating input score 82
  • 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: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -11.4%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.79; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -9% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6.4% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 31.3% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.1% of revenue deployed · 81.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $157K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 21/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 22/100.