Midwest Regional Turf Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 356045428
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Phone
- 7654948039
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Football
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $331,164
- Expenses
- $351,892
- Assets
- $209,016
- Liabilities
- $483
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
19 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MICHELLE HANCOCK (PRESIDENT EL)
People named in this filing
- BRAD PUGH (DIRECTOR)
- TRACY TUDOR (DIRECTOR)
- FRED WESSEL (DIRECTOR)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of the midwest regional turf foundation (mrtf) is to support turf research and education at purdue university for the advancement of the turfgrass industry. To this end, we fund turfgrass researchers at purdue university, financially support operations at the w.h. Daniel turfgrass research and diagnostic center, and sustain the purchase of turf research equipment and operations through endowments. We champion student scholarship and learning on campus by funding undergraduate student scholarships and experiential learning opportunities. We support turf professionals through regional educational and networking opportunities and we recognize the service achievements and professionalism of our members through annual awards.
What it reported doing in 2024
Research: purdue university is home to one of the top turf science programs in the country. The mrtf financially supports turf research at purdue university on turf species and cultivar studies, management trials involving pesticide and biopesticide applications, nutrient cycling and management, drought survival, as well as weed, insect, and disease biology and control. Aside from monies directed to faculty turfgrass research programs, the mrtf financially supports operations at the w.h. Daniel turfgrass research and diagnostic center and funds turf research equipment and operations through endowments.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 41% for direct work, and 59% for grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 77
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 35
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 89%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 83.7%; rating input score 84
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: -6.3%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -5.8% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 89% of revenue deployed · 83.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $295K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 19 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 7 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.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 27/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.