Four Winds Nature Institute Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
205139630
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chittenden, VT, USA
Phone
8023539440
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$276,942
Expenses
$275,850
Assets
$314,451
Liabilities
$62,508

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Lorrie Byrom (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Lisa Purcell (Executive Dir.): $66,463 total reported compensation
  • Deborah Parella Business Mgr (& Treasurer): $25,989 total reported compensation
  • Emily Pals TNP Coordinator (& Secretary): $13,519 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Four Winds Nature Institute is a Vermont nonprofit organization advancing the understanding, appreciation and protection of the environment through community-based natural science education and research. Four Winds staff members are educators and scientists dedicated to helping children and adults gain the background knowledge and science skills needed to understand the world around them and the problem-solving and citizenship skills needed to protect it. Four Winds' programs strengthen communities by connection children, volunteers, teachers and families regularly with each other and with nearby nature. In choosing and developing programs, Four Winds is committed to those that address the following goals: (1) programs that increase people's knowledge of the natural world through direct observation, hands-on learning activities, and rich outdoor experiences; (2) programs that improve science literacy (content and skills) by encouraging people to explore their local environment; (3) pro

What it reported doing in 2024

Outreach: through collaboration with other environmental education organizations, Four Winds advances the field of place-based natural science education and facilitates discussions about integrating nature-based learning across the curriculum. Through its Outreach efforts, Four Winds is promoting the benefits of nature-based play and learning (NBPL) for all children's well-being and healthy development. With a weekly blog, seasonal e-newsletter, and other traditional and social media, we share strategies to support children's social-emotional development through NBPL, address diversity and equity in NBPL, feature developmentally-appropriate outdoor learning opportunities in different seasons and settings, discuss nature playspace design, suggest teaching resources, and offer ways to be involved in NBPL locally.

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 - 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: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 73
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.5%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 82.4%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $29.34 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings

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: 71.4%; rating input score 71; 19th 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: 0.4%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.14; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 38.4%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.6% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.5% of revenue deployed · 82.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 7 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $227K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $66K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 40/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 44/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.