Newton Conservators Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
046116074
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Newton, MA, USA
Phone
6177212571
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$85,346
Expenses
$33,689
Assets
$841,087
Liabilities
$55,145

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Alice Ingerson (Past President)
  • Nyssa Patten (Vice President)
  • Katherine Howard (President)

People named in this filing

  • Peter Barrer (Director)
  • Barbara Bates (Director)
  • Alicia Bowman (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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Promote and preserve open space in Newton MA; function as local land trust (holding Conservation Easements for 8 city-owned parks and 1 private property); conduct educational walks and webinars for the public use of open spaces; improve open spaces through trail restoration and invasive plant management; publish trail guide, almanac, and educational newsletter.

What it reported doing in 2025

Conduct nature walk series and webinars; publish map guides and almanacs; provide grants to school-based and other environmental education programs/activities; advise local parks groups and agencies; conduct trail and habitat restoration on various city and state owned public parks.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 68% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 86% 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 a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 49.4%; rating input score 49
  • Program expense ratio: 75.5%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $32.93 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd 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; 64th 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: 60.5%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 24.97; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -53.3% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -26.3% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.5% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 49.4% of revenue deployed · 75.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $25K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 22 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 49/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.