Maji Ya Chai Land Sanctuary

What it reported doing in 2024

This was our third full fiscal year with the physical site, a 40-acre farmstead located ten minutes west of Two Harbors, MN & Gichigaming (Lake Superior). During this year we continued learning about the land, how to steward the land & what that entails. Much of our spending went into costs related to the operations & upkeep of the land & buildings currently on it. We raised our first community space, a 26-foot Mongolian yurt, on the land this year & began hosing gatherings there. Activities from this year included a volunteer day in May when 30 students from North High in Minneapolis visited the land & helped with indoor & outdoor tasks; significant tree work done with volunteers in June to remove dead trees & brush from the north side of the farmhouse; a community yurt blessing in July 2025; A BioBlitz was held on the land in August, the first event of the new HEALL HUB partnership: The HEALL Hub brings together eight partner organizations to create transformative nature-based learning experiences for Black, Indigenous & communities of color on Minnesota's North Shore. Hosted at Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuarythe region's only BIPOC-centered nature retreatthis innovative collaboration addresses a critical gap: the lack of safe, accessible & culturally affirming outdoor educational spaces for BIPOC communities in Northern Minnesota. Through partnerships with Urban Bird Collective, BIPOC Outdoors Twin Ports, BIPOC Outdoors Twin Cities, Bell Museum, University of Minnesota Extension, Starry Skies North, AIM Tanzania & renowned nature photographer & educator Dudley Edmondson, the HEALL Hub delivers year-round programming in birding, astronomy, natural sciences & environmental leadershipcentering BIPOC voices, honoring ancestral knowledge & building pathways to conservation careers. We hosted ongoing planned & impromptu volunteer work days in the fall.Land improvement/upgrades & development work included: A major flood in May lead to the installation of new furnace, water heater & sump pump in the basement, as well as a full basement cleaning & disinfecting; Upgraded & expanded electricity to the farmhouse & in the meadow; Installation of new doors to the farmhouse & garage; construction of a six foot cedar privacy fence along the road began in late September (& was completed in early November). Our Executive Director & her Spouse moved to the land as full time caretakers in August 2025. This was a necessary & welcome move as it was clear to us that full time caretakers are essential for the proper upkeep, maintenance & stewardship of the land.We continued our highly popular partnership with watershed spa in Minneapolis - offered monthly BIPOC-only bathing sessions.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 75.1%; rating input score 75
• Program expense ratio: 55.8%; rating input score 56
• Fundraising efficiency: $7.71 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd 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: 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: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -34.4%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.07; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 29%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 24.1% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -22.6% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings