Minneapolis Parks Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 200715686
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Phone
- 6128222656
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Parks and Playgrounds
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $6,821,405
- Expenses
- $5,438,956
- Assets
- $15,050,209
- Liabilities
- $10,179,058
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
26 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Martin Wera (Executive Director)
- Anne Hoyt Taff (Former Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Anne Hoyt Taff (Former Executive Director): $85,720 total reported compensation
- Martin Wera (Executive Director): $53,333 total reported compensation
- Jocelyn Hale (Former Interim Director): $45,563 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Minneapolis Parks Foundation transforms human lives through parks and public spaces by aligning philanthropic investment and community vision.
What it reported doing in 2025
People for Parks Fund: Created in 2020 through our consolidation with People for Parks, this fund carries forward a 40-year legacy of grant making for small neighborhood-based projects and programs in Minneapolis Parks. In 2025, we (1) initiated the Fund's fifth grant cycle, distributing grants to local nonprofits and agencies; (2) documented the outcomes of 2025 grants with profiles on our blog; (3) hosted the Posters for Parks Show, a fundraising event with proceeds supporting the People for Parks Fund; (4) partnered with local businesses for dine-out nights and community runs with proceeds supporting the Fund; and (5) administered the Fund under guidance from the Advisory Committee, consisting of MPF Board Members and representatives from the community.Posters for Parks is an annual fundraising event that supports the People for Parks Fund. In 2025, 43 artists created original works of art which were sold at an in-person gallery event on October 11, followed by a week of online sales. Nearly 1,000 posters were sold, with half of each sale going to the artist and proceeds from the remaining half supporting the People for Parks Fund.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 92% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 89% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Liabilities are high compared with assets and some filed totals do not add up.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 77
- Transparency & Controls: 91
- Accountability: 98
- Sustainability: 64
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 73.1%; rating input score 73
- Program expense ratio: 87.8%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $25.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 99.1%; rating input score 99; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 96%; rating input score 96; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 20.3%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.77; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.68; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.4%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 14.1% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 73.1% of revenue deployed · 87.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 24 of 25 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $86K · 26 people listed
- Consistency: 40 of 41 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 4 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: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.