Parker Learning Gardens

What it reported doing in 2025

Parker Learning Gardens operates an educational farm and community learning space dedicated to providing inclusive hands-on environmental and agricultural education for youth families volunteers and community members in Lane County Oregon. The organization combines regenerative agriculture ecological stewardship outdoor education and practical life skills training to help participants build meaningful connections with food systems land stewardship biodiversity and community resilience. Programs primarily serve children teens families homeschool groups volunteers and low-income community members with a strong emphasis on accessibility through sliding-scale participation and reduced-cost educational opportunities. Activities are designed to support participants of varying backgrounds learning styles and experience levels through experiential outdoor-based learning. Core programming includes weekly seasonal educational classes summer camps workshops volunteer learning opportunities farm-based enrichment activities and community food access initiatives. Educational topics include gardening soil health regenerative agriculture composting habitat restoration orchard care animal husbandry food preservation natural building ethnobotany natural dyes pollinator education environmental science and sustainable living skills. The organization operates multiple educational gardens orchard systems demonstration spaces and habitat restoration areas used for year-round instruction and hands-on learning. Participants engage directly in planting harvesting irrigation composting seed saving food preparation ecological observation and stewardship projects. Educational farmstand activities also provide opportunities for youth and families to learn about food systems community agriculture harvesting produce handling and equitable food access. During the reporting year Parker Learning Gardens facilitated seasonal educational programming serving youth and families through recurring weekly classes and community events. The organization offered programs such as Childrens Garden Club Youth Discovery Project family and early childhood classes and educational workshops focused on sustainable agriculture and ecological skills. Programs incorporated science environmental literacy teamwork creativity and practical problem-solving through direct participation in farm and land-based activities. The organization also maintained volunteer and educational hosting opportunities that allowed participants to learn practical agricultural and stewardship skills while supporting farm operations. Volunteers participated in activities such as orchard maintenance garden preparation mulching irrigation invasive species management habitat restoration food production infrastructure improvement and educational project support. Community food access remained an important component of the organizations mission. Produce grown through educational programming was distributed through community-oriented farmstand efforts educational events donations and reduced-cost access initiatives. Educational harvest activities helped connect participants to healthy foods while teaching sustainable growing practices and responsible stewardship of agricultural resources. Measurable accomplishments during the year included: * Providing weekly educational programming across multiple seasonal sessions for children teens and families. * Maintaining and stewarding approximately 33 acres of educational agricultural and habitat space. * Supporting hands-on participation in gardening ecological restoration food production and environmental education activities. * Operating educational gardens orchard systems and demonstration areas used for community learning. * Expanding accessibility through sliding-scale participation and reduced-cost educational opportunities for low-income families. * Facilitating volunteer engagement and experiential agricultural learning opportunities. * Producing and distributing

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 84.8%; rating input score 85
• Program expense ratio: 84.8%; rating input score 85

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -0%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.82; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 51.9%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 36.5% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -6.5% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 160% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings