La Cruz Habitat Protection Project Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 208448752
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020
- Location
- Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Phone
- 6033135870
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Forest Conservation
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $278,899
- Expenses
- $278,367
- Assets
- $93,606
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Michael Hamm (President)
- Peggy Farabaugh (Vice President)
- Megan Fulton (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Megan Fulton (Executive Director): $104,146 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Dedicated to donate and plant native trees to restore the natural and degraded forest of South Central Mexico, and to promote sustainable forest management among the local landowners for their economic benefit and forest conservation.
What it reported doing in 2024
In 2024, 670,000 native tree seedlings were purchased from Forests for Monarchs' Mexican nursery partner and planted with local people and organizations that also received technical assistance. These new trees, planted for forest restoration and monarch butterfly habitat conservation, also provide erosion control, watershed restoration, and a source of wood. Sixty-seven percent of the trees were planted around the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, and the remainder were planted in the area around Lake Patzcuaro and Zirahuen, Michoacan, Mexico. These new trees helped to reforest over 615 hectares (1,489 acres) in 2024. Since 1997, more than 13.5 million trees have been planted by Forests for Monarchs and its Mexican partner program, with the support of individuals, foundations, and nonprofit partners. Each year, after the planting season, the Mexican partners verify that the tree seedlings were planted by visiting reforestation sites. Data collection is performed during the visit and mainly includes GPS coordinates, photographs, species planted, and initial seedling survival rates.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 67
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Accountability: 69
- Sustainability: 34
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71%; rating input score 71
- Program expense ratio: 71.1%; rating input score 71
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.22 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0.2%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.34; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 37.4%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -49.7% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 71% of revenue deployed · 71.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $198K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $104K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 31/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 40/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.