Heartlands Conservancy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 371273869
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Belleville, IL, USA
- Phone
- 6185664451
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Natural Resources Conservation and Protection
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,822,440
- Expenses
- $2,488,516
- Assets
- $5,022,116
- Liabilities
- $1,618,622
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MARY VANDEVORD (PRESIDENT/CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- MARY VANDEVORD (PRESIDENT/CEO): $104,585 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 heartlands conservancy is to empower and colaborate with the people of southern Illinois to advance and protect the health of our distinctive communities and nationally significant natural and cultural resources.
What it reported doing in 2025
Land conservation - preservation of 10,000 acres of land in southern Illinois for ecological, cultural, recreational, and agricultural purposes. The organization manages around 360 acres of land and holds conservation easements in excess of 3,920 acres. Thousands more acres have been transferred or assisted by heartlands to a government partner or other stewards. Healthy watersheds - working in partnership with residents, towns, and agencies to protect and manage water and support ecosystem health. Comprehensive watershed plans have been developed for 11 watersheds and millions of nutrients and other pollutants have been diverted from the region's lakes, rivers, and streams through green infrastructure and best management practices.resilient communities - assistance to local governments and community groups with watershed health, sustainable parks and recreation, smart growth consultation, and other natural and environmental resource protection efforts.
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.
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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 71
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 56
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71.4%; rating input score 71
- Program expense ratio: 80.6%; rating input score 81
- Fundraising efficiency: $12.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd 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; 63rd 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: 11.8%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.02; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.32; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 71.4% of revenue deployed · 80.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $105K · 13 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 42/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 25/100.