Planeterra International Foundation Ltd

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
831619668
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Amherst, MA, USA
Phone
4133253391
Rating
54
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Private Grantmaking Foundations

Reported finances

Revenue
$392,226
Expenses
$138,959
Assets
$543,467
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • James Sweeting (President and Treasurer)

People named in this filing

  • James Sweeting (President and Treasurer)
  • Bruce Poon Tip (Board Member -Chairman)
  • Karen Ziffer (Board Member - 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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Planeterra International Foundation Ltd. (the Organization)is a grant-making organization that empowers individuals to create their own economic opportunities, protects geographic regions and celebrates culture. The Organization achieves its mission by making grants to community organizations and non-profit, non-governmental organizations that in turn use the funds to invest in vocational training programs or vocational infrastructure.

What it reported doing in 2024

Planeterra helps ensure communities touched by tourism actually benefit from that tourism. We identify local businesses in communities around the world, then provide them with the foundation they need to be successful long-term. Planeterra supports community tourism enterprises on all seven continents, benefiting women, at-risk youth, and rural and Indigenous communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

MIXED - Revenue comfortably covers expenses and revenue has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 44
  • Transparency & Controls: 58
  • Accountability: 59
  • Sustainability: 84
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 25.8%; rating input score 26
  • Program expense ratio: 72.8%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 71.4%; rating input score 71; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 64.6%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.91; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 35.9% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 25.8% of revenue deployed · 72.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $101K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 16 of 17 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 26/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 43/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.