Friends of the Desert Mountains

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
330241242
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Palm Desert, CA, USA
Phone
7605689918
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Wildlife Preservation, Protection

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,045,172
Expenses
$1,019,006
Assets
$24,526,182
Liabilities
$35,782

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TAMMY MARTIN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • TAMMY MARTIN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $116,201 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of the friends of the desert mountains is to preserve land to support education, conservation and research in the coachella valley, and to act as the support organization for the santa rosa & san jacinto mountains national monument.

What it reported doing in 2025

Land acquisition: since 1987, friends of the desert mountains has been a driving force in protecting the breathtaking landscape of the coachella valley-safeguarding over 63,000 acres of pristine desert. We work hand-in-hand with willing landowners to purchase undeveloped, ecologically vital properties at fair market value. Each acre we conserve helps ensure the success of the coachella valley multiple species habitat conservation plan, protecting the regions rare wildlife and fragile ecosystem for generations to come.

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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89.3%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 80.1%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $17.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 2.5%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 24.07; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.4%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -9.9% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 89.3% of revenue deployed · 80.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $816K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $116K · 20 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 52/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.