Heartland Conservation Alliance

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
352434953
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2014
Location
Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone
8169458505
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$931,526
Expenses
$605,521
Assets
$831,883
Liabilities
$116,154

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • REGAN TOKOS (PRESIDENT)
  • PATRICE GONZALEZ (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • BILL BLESSING (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • LOGAN HELEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • LOGAN HELEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $79,380 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 heartland conservation alliance works with partners to protect, connect, and restore the blue river watershed and its urban greenspaces for the benefit and enjoyment of all.

What it reported doing in 2024

Conservation and policy: heartland conservation alliance (hca) achieved significant conservation milestones by securing land and ensuring long-term protection of natural areas.secured the organization's first conservation easement (28.4 acres) from the city of Kansas city, mo, at the municipal farm conservation site in september 2024, ensuring its permanent protection. Hca now serves as the monitor for this easement.acquired 98 acres of land in the floodplain along the blue river, establishing the blue river nature preserve, to protect and restore vital wildlife habitat and water quality. This acquisition quadrupled hca's land holdings.advanced the update of the blue river report card by having six teams grade 14 watershed health indicators. The final report is expected in 2025.continued restoration efforts at the 40-acre heartland overlook preserve, removing invasive species and planting/seeding natives on 8.2 acres. This work informs hca's lead role in a future $5 million arpa riparian restoration grant.worked to secure a $2.7 million contract under a separate mdnr arpa stormwater grant awarded to the city of kcmo to restore 140 acres of the blue river riparian zone.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 77% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 68% for direct work, and 32% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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 the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 46.7%; rating input score 47
  • Program expense ratio: 71.7%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 48.9%; rating input score 49; 28th 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 35%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.37; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.1%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.3% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 46.7% of revenue deployed · 71.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $434K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $79K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 47/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 49/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.