North East Trees Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 954320174
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Phone
- 3234418634
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Natural Resources Conservation and Protection
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $4,394,078
- Expenses
- $4,166,324
- Assets
- $4,248,524
- Liabilities
- $1,404,959
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Michael Ferraro (President)
- Cheryl Leutjen (Vice President)
- Carlos Moran (Executive Director (start Aug.))
Highest reported compensation
- Yarnell Smith (Director of Finance): $89,619 total reported compensation
- Janet Schulman-Trask (Interim Exec. Dir. (end Aug.)): $60,154 total reported compensation
- Carlos Moran (Executive Director (start Aug.)): $55,390 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
In 2024, our work made a lasting impact on both people and the environment. Together with our community, we planted 2,739 new plants and trees, ensuring future shade, cleaner air, and greener neighborhoods. We also cared for 7,442 trees, strengthening the health of our existing urban forest. To extend our reach, we distributed 981 plants and trees for community members to steward in their own spaces. In total, we actively cared for 204.24 acres of habitat, protecting and restoring vital green spaces that support biodiversity, provide refuge for wildlife, and create healthier communities.
What it reported doing in 2024
NET's Parks and Open Space Program designs and builds public parks and green spaces and implements water conservation projects following Nature Based Solutions and Low Impact Development design principles. For example, the installation of bioswales helps water travel on paths so it can penetrate the earth before it runs off to the streets and into storm drains. Schools, agencies, foundations, and the City and County of Los Angeles are among the beneficiaries of NET's work eliminating invasive species, planting drought resistant native plants and trees to restore the habitat, and installing site attributes such as playgrounds, public information signage, landscaping and boulders, sidewalks, and drinking fountains.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 78% 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.
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: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 45
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 75.2%; rating input score 75
- Program expense ratio: 79.2%; rating input score 79
- Fundraising efficiency: $47.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 77; 77th 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 5.2%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.02; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.9%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 24.9% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 27.6% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 75.2% of revenue deployed · 79.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $3.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $90K · 12 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $839K reported
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.