Ivy Creek Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
541112932
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone
4349737772
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$317,879
Expenses
$275,594
Assets
$1,030,929
Liabilities
$5,527

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR TERESA LESLIE (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SUSAN ERHARDT (EXECUTIVE DI): $50,105 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Connecting people to the past & present by honoring the land, history, and community. To inspire and engage our community in the stewardship of our natural resources and our rich african american cultural history.

What it reported doing in 2025

Manage and maintain a 219-acre natural sanctuary, including the preservation of six historic buildings, 22 additional historic resources, and seven miles of public trails. We provide comprehensive educational programming on nature, history, and culture to people of all ages and backgrounds. Programs are delivered through on-site exhibits, tours, and lectures, as well as a robust virtual presence on our website and social media. Additionally, our spaces serve as a community hub by partnering with mission-aligned local non-profits to host their educational programs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 69% 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

STRONG - 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.4%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 86.4%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.08 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 13.3%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.74; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.2%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 18.4% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.9% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.4% of revenue deployed · 86.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $238K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $50K · 20 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 44/100.