Peaks to People Water Fund
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 823779406
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2018–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2017
- Location
- Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Phone
- 9708290020
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Water Resource, Wetlands Conservation and Management
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $641,187
- Expenses
- $569,154
- Assets
- $255,211
- Liabilities
- $159,863
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- JULIE DUBIN (EXEC. DIRECT): $107,067 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The peaks to people water fund aims to protect resources in the cache la poudre and big thompson watersheds by restoring forests to reduce the risk of severe wildfires. These forest restoration projects not only protect water from sedimentation and debris, but also improve forest health and habitat, decrease firefighting costs, and reduce home loss and infrastructure damage. Our goal is to dramatically accelerate forest restoration to reduce the threat of severe wildfire by engaging downstream water users to donate funds for this work.
What it reported doing in 2024
Over the past fiscal year, peaks to people worked to protect water resources in the cache la poudre and big thompson watersheds from the threat of wildfire. We supported forest health projects to protect important drinking water sources, and scoped additional projects to be funded in the next fiscal year. We convened the big thompson watershed health partnership and we are coordinating this collaborative group to increase the pace and scale of work in the watershed. We continued our partnership with the Colorado forest restoration institute to further develop the science in the field to ensure funds are allocated to the most effective forest management projects and to continuously-improved methods for forest restoration. Through our website, blogging and social media, we educated the public about the importance of wildfire mitigation and water resources.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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.
- 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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 75
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 40
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.3%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 81.4%; rating input score 81
- Fundraising efficiency: $29.71 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 68; 68th 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: 11.2%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.45; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.63; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 18.8%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 32% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 21.7% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -3% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 72.3% of revenue deployed · 81.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $463K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $107K · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 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.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.