Out of the Garden Project
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 272772988
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Greensboro, NC, USA
- Phone
- 3364306070
- Rating
- 89
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Soup Kitchens
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $4,414,161
- Expenses
- $4,658,073
- Assets
- $615,320
- Liabilities
- $120,089
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ELIZABETH CRISE (INCOMING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- DON MILHOLIN (OUTGOING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/PRESIDE)
Highest reported compensation
- ELIZABETH CRISE (INCOMING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $80,625 total reported compensation
- DON MILHOLIN (OUTGOING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/PRESIDE): $7,380 total reported compensation
- KRISTY MYERS MILHOLIN (OUTGOING SECRETARY): $3,164 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our mission is to nourish families with food to grow learn and thrive.
What it reported doing in 2024
Founded in 2008 as a small act of kindness to support food-insecure students at a single elementary school, ootgp has grown into the piedmont triad's largest independent nonprofit food assistance organization - serving more than 15,000 individuals each month without federal funding. What began with six backpacks has evolved into a comprehensive network of programs that meet both urgent needs and support long-term stability. Our programs include our nourish 2 thrive program which focuses on providing youth with the food they need to thrive. Serving over 300 students monthly through operation backpack (weekend meal bags) and an additional 500+ students and their families throughout the year through intentional emergency services. Our fresh mobile markets provides an average of 55 pounds per household and nourishes more than 115,000 individuals annually. We have hosted internships and have built a community with hundreds of volunteers, the majority of whom come back multiple times, learning while they give their time. Finally, our two low-risk commercial kitchen has more than 35 food entrepreneurs working to establish themselves in area markets with their home-made products.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 99% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 96
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 24
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 96.4%; rating input score 96
- Fundraising efficiency: $50.64 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 78; 78th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- 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: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -5.5%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.13; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 96.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $81K · 10 people listed
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- 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: 4 of 9 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 19/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 4/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 44/100.