New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
161562172
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2012, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Salamanca, NY, USA
Phone
7169455301
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Agricultural Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$290,750
Expenses
$186,931
Assets
$519,031
Liabilities
$165

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

People named in this filing

  • LYNN BLIVEN (Director)
  • MARGARET BRUEGEL (Director)
  • JASON EASTMAN (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

New York Sustainable Agricultural Working Group (NYSAWG) is a not-for-profit organization located in western New York to raise awareness of issues affecting the sustainability of the food and agriculture system. The Organizations mission is pursued through fostering coalitions of groups and individuals working to realizea shared vision; creating and supporting projects that help sustain New York farms and strive to attain food security for all; and, promoting and supporting policies at the local, state and national levels that increase the sustainability of the food and agriculture system.

What it reported doing in 2024

Expansion of food policy network and execution of scope of work outlined in the WESTERN NEW YORK REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEM INITIATIVE. The food system of western New York demands understanding and targeted recommendations to make it more equitable. To meet this challenge, a funders collaborative called Moving Forward Together (MFT) launched the Western New York Regional Food System Initiative (WNYRFSI) in January 2021. The project sought to improve the viability, resilience, and wealth-creating opportunities via a strong food system for communities throughout the nine-county region (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties), in rural and urban communities alike.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 75
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 54.6%; rating input score 55
  • Program expense ratio: 85%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 35.7%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.78; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 56.3% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.5% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 54.6% of revenue deployed · 85% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $159K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.