EarthDance
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 274160056
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2025
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Ferguson, MO, US
- Phone
- 314-521-1006
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Agricultural Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,177,484
- Expenses
- $1,127,490
- Assets
- $1,604,715
- Liabilities
- $26,053
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
15 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- MOLLY ROCKAMANN KORTE (EXECUTIVE DI): $87,997 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
EarthDance provides beyond-the-basics education and hands-on training to meet the needs of budding gardeners, beginning farmers, youth, and 'agri-curious' community members. We grow Certified Organic vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers. Teaching people how to grow organic produce empowers them to pursue healthier lives. Inspiring regenerative changes in the food system is what EarthDance strives to do.
What it reported doing in 2025
Earthdance adult education includes spring training for gardeners, a quick-start five week program for indivuduals interested in learning backyard and community gardening. The education offerings also included full season paid apprenticeships, and paid summer apprenticeship options for indivudauls pursuing a career in agriculture. In addition, attendees participate in other workhsops and farm tours. Earthdance also fosters an active volunteer corps, with volunteers contributing more than 2,500 hours on the farm during the year.
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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 65
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 48
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71.1%; rating input score 71
- Program expense ratio: 73.4%; rating input score 73
- Fundraising efficiency: $2.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 64th 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: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.2%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.42; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.8%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 71.1% of revenue deployed · 73.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $828K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $88K · 15 people listed
- Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2014 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 8/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.