Humboldt Area Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 237310660
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Bayside, CA, USA
- Phone
- 7074422993
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Community Foundations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $19,392,804
- Expenses
- $20,541,122
- Assets
- $195,874,790
- Liabilities
- $45,748,144
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
23 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SARA DRONKERS (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- BRYNA LIPPER (CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER): $257,611 total reported compensation
- SARA DRONKERS (CEO): $183,763 total reported compensation
- PAULA TRIPP-ALLEN (VP PRGMS, COMM P'SHIPS/TRIBAL REL): $176,767 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 foundation's vision is a thriving, just, healthy and equitable region.
What it reported doing in 2024
The humboldt area foundation + wild rivers community foundation is four years into a decade-long strategic plan with the vision of a thriving, just, healthy, and equitable future for all generations and communities in our remarkable region. The foundation serves the residents of humboldt, del norte and trinity counties in California and curry county in Oregon, including the region's tribal nations and historically indigenous territories. Our mission is to promote and encourage generosity, leadership and inclusion to strengthen our communities. We are supported in this work by the remarkable community we serve, as well as our board of directors, national and statewide philanthropic partners, and generous local donors.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 73% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 87
- Transparency & Controls: 80
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 44
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 84.6%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.45 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 96.8%; rating input score 97; 26th 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -5.9%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.54; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.8%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 84.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $17.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $258K · 23 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $605K reported
- Consistency: 35 of 36 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 214 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 196 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 30/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.