Farmers Union Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
416041830
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
St Paul, MN, USA
Phone
6516391223
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,692,943
Expenses
$966,824
Assets
$8,343,009
Liabilities
$2,415,866

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GARY WERTISH (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • GARY WERTISH (PRESIDENT): $307,125 total reported compensation
  • ANNE SCHWAGERL (VICE PRESIDE): $85,215 total reported compensation
  • CAROL ANDERSON (CHAIR): $1,625 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the organization is to educate the general public on the history of farming and the role of farm cooperatives in helping solve past and current issues in agriculture.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Minnesota farmers union (mfu) foundation established in 1958, advances the mission of Minnesota farmers union by promoting education, leadership development, climate-resilient farming, and local food system strength. Through programming that spans youth engagement, cooperative education, infrastructure investment, and climate innovation, the foundation supports farmers, consumers, and communities across Minnesota. The foundation has expanded agricultural literacy and public understanding of cooperative principles through publications, community events, and initiatives like Minnesota cooks, which connects local farmers and chefs while showcasing Minnesota-grown food in its annual calendar. To strengthen local food systems, mfu created the Minnesota foodshed platform to connect producers and buyers and partnered with ridgewater and central lakes colleges to establish meat cutting & butchery programs. Ongoing efforts to develop a usda-inspected regional meat processing facility in staples, mn aims to improve access and keep more value in rural communities. Mfu's climate & working lands program helps farmers adapt to and mitigate climate change through innovation and collaboration. Initiatives include a green ammonia pilot converting wind energy into low-carbon fertilizer, the co-ops for climate grant program supporting farmer-led climate initiatives, and the Minnesota working group for climate-smart commodities. The foundation also provides practical resources such as the farmers' guides to carbon markets and solar and wind energy, and partners with universities and agencies to expand access to clean energy and sustainable practices. For over eight decades, mfu's leadership camp program has empowered youth ages 8-18 with cooperative education, leadership skills, and agricultural awareness, preparing the next generation of community leaders. Across all its initiatives-from education and processing infrastructure to climate action-the mfu foundation continues to build a fairer, more resilient agricultural economy that empowers farmers, engages youth, and sustains Minnesota's rural communities.

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 85% 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 52
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 77
  • Sustainability: 85
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 35.6%; rating input score 36
  • Program expense ratio: 94.7%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • 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 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 64.1%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.63; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.4%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18.4% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 25.1% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 35.6% of revenue deployed · 94.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 4 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $915K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $307K · 8 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.