Gardening Matters

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
262833297
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2016–2016
Forms available
Form 990 2015, Form 990-EZ 2016, Form 990-N 2008
Location
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Phone
6128212358
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Garden Club, Horticultural Program

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$134,616
Expenses
$154,432
Assets
$924
Liabilities
$12,263

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2016. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Susan Phillips (Executive Director)

People named in this filing

  • Susan Phillips (Executive Director)
  • Stayci Bell (Board Member)
  • Mike Braunlin (Board Member)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2016. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Gardening Matters envisions a just, diverse and sustainable local food system where home and community gardens build stronger communities for the future. Gardening Matters supports successful, sustainable gardens and inspires gardeners to build resilient communities as they grow their own fresh food.

What it reported doing in 2016

We host a comprehensive community garden inventory, hold community gardening skills shares and learning event, celebrations and networking events, hold start-up leadership and garden sustainability trainings and advocate on behalf of community gardening in public policy arenas. We provide resources to renters and property owners for gardening on rental property. Additional we support 7 neighborhood networks of gardeners providing home and community gardeners the support they need to grow, preserve, cook, and compost their own fresh produce by offering supplies, educational opportunities, and community connections in their neighborhood.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Sustainability: 6
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.5%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 69.3%; rating input score 69

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 81.8%; rating input score 82; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -14.7%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.01; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 13.27; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.6%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: -12% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -60.8% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.5% of revenue deployed · 69.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $107K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 9/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.