Maine Grain Alliance
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 273965554
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2017–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2018, Form 990-N 2010
- Location
- Skowhegan, ME, USA
- Phone
- 2074316201
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Education N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $278,065
- Expenses
- $264,368
- Assets
- $217,939
- Liabilities
- $7,464
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
18 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- TRISTAN NOYES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- TRISTAN NOYES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $64,715 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our mission is to inspire and empower people who are building local grain economies. We create connections and share grain traditions and innovations from earth to table. We provide opportunities to learn and share how best to grow and use grains, using a combination of traditional, innovative, and sustainable techniques. The alliance promotes beneficial uses of grain for good health, food independence, and purposeful jobs within viable communities. The alliance connects people and supports the economic, environmental, and nutritional importance for establishing regional grain economies.
What it reported doing in 2025
Kneading and bread conference - the annual kneading conference brings together farmers, professional and home bakers, chefs, cooks, grain researchers, maltsters, food entrepreneurs, and wood-fired oven enthusiasts to educate one another about the art and science of growing and milling grains and baking artisan breads. The annual artisan bread fair is a free summer festival offering wood-fired oven demonstrations, artisan bread samplings, and opportunities to talk with professional bakers and explore the best books, tools, and delicious accoutrements to whole grain and conventional bread baking.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 66% 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.
- 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 59
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 65.1%; rating input score 65
- Program expense ratio: 67.9%; rating input score 68
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.9%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.82; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 24.5%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 65.1% of revenue deployed · 67.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $180K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $65K · 18 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 8 filing years from 2017 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: 2 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 47/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.