Equity Trust Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
061337421
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Amherst, MA, USA
Phone
4132566161
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Reported finances

Revenue
$708,530
Expenses
$519,083
Assets
$7,829,568
Liabilities
$5,316,689

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES OLDHAM (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • SCOTT REED (PRESIDENT)
  • JODY BOLLUYT (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JAMES OLDHAM (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $74,324 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To promote and provide access to land, housing, capital, and economic opportunities for disadvantaged and low-income people; to promote the conservation of land and natural resources; and related charitable and educational purposes.

What it reported doing in 2025

Education and technical assistance to promote the establishment and sustainability of environmentally sound farms that benefit their local communities. Support access to farmland for historically marginalized people and communities and the permanent protection of farmland and farm infrastructure and their affordability for working farmers. In 2025, equity trust's work focused on farm land access for farm workers and immigrant farmers; guidance to land trusts and land owners on innovative strategies for protecting and stewarding working farms; and responding to assistance requests from community groups, farmers, land owners, and land trusts from around the country.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 89% 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 a large share of total spending goes to programs. 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: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 56.4%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 73.3%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 26.7%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 15.08; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.68; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.3%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 56.4% of revenue deployed · 73.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $381K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $74K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 56/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 54/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.