Friends of the Gunpowder Falls State Park Graham Area Equestrian Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
522326122
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2013
Location
Glen Arm, MD, USA
Phone
4106634445
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Parks and Playgrounds

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$548,931
Expenses
$507,926
Assets
$146,132
Liabilities
$2,644

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HOLLY L LABARRE (PRESIDENT)
  • ELIZABETH HARTKA (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • RACHAEL NORTH (DIRECTOR): $126,203 total reported compensation
  • ELIZABETH HARTKA (VICE PRESIDENT): $37,534 total reported compensation
  • HOLLY L LABARRE (PRESIDENT): $19,072 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To introduce people to horses in an all inclusive and educational environment. Our goal is to educate the mind, improve the body and lift the spirits of local children and adults, regardless of income or (dis)ability, through the joy of horses.

What it reported doing in 2024

The organization operates the graham equestrian center which is an equine education center located in gunpowder falls state park, Maryland. Program services include education programs such as lessons and camps. Our outreach projects include joins- a program run by the baltimore city police for at risk youth. They learn life skills, farm work, caring for horses and riding. Emerge- a program to teach work skills. City neighbors high school- another program for teaching work skills and ethics. Trellis- a program for students with different physical and mental challenges that learn horse interaction and light horse keeping skills. Scouts and 4h- to earn merit badges. We also host horse discovery days which are free and open to the public to come pet, groom and learn about horses. We also work to promote the equine industry by supporting the Maryland state fair's horseland tent and baltimore counties agriculture event.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 90% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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.

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 some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 51
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.7%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 89.5%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.5%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.29; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 38%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.7% of revenue deployed · 89.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 10 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $455K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $126K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 23 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.