Neighborspace
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 364105593
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2018–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Chicago, IL, USA
- Phone
- 7738263240
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Community, Neighborhood Development
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,673,257
- Expenses
- $3,290,972
- Assets
- $8,975,248
- Liabilities
- $140,770
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CATHY BREITENBACH (PRESIDENT)
- BENJAMIN R HELPHAND (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- BENJAMIN R HELPHAND (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $107,175 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Neighborspace is a nonprofit urban land trust dedicated to preserving community gardens in chicago, Illinois as locally managed assets available for all to enjoy.
What it reported doing in 2024
Neighborspace continues to assist dozens of block clubs, church groups and neighborhood associations who have set out to reclaim the unused lots in their communities accross chicago. Out of fields of weeds they create rows of vegetables. Out of places used for dumping garbage they create places to reconnect with nature. Unfortunately, many of these urban oases disappear quickly or are lost forever due to redevelopment or lack of resources. This is where neighborspace comes in. As chicago's nonprofit land trust for community gardens they are here to ensure that these community-driven efforts are not fleeting; that the community's hard work and vision lives on, especially in those areas with the least amount of open space. Since 1996 neighborspace has been able to preserve over 120 neighborhood gardens, each one a unique expression of the community that created it. In 2024 neighborspace will continue to grow. They are working to protect visionary community garden across the city, in south shore, austin, avondale, little village and beyond.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 64% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 83
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 68
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 80.7%; rating input score 81
- Program expense ratio: 90%; rating input score 90
- Fundraising efficiency: $41.04 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 10.4%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.73; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.3%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 16.7% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 15.7% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 80.7% of revenue deployed · 90% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $107K · 12 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.4M reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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: Whistleblower policy not reported.