Plants People Community

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
825297261
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Oceanside, CA, USA
Phone
7605754898
Rating
61
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Botanical Gardens, Arboreta and Botanical Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$264,153
Expenses
$286,440
Assets
$272,867
Liabilities
$4

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BIANCA BONILLA (PRESIDENT AN)

Highest reported compensation

  • BIANCA BONILLA (PRESIDENT AN): $86,961 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Plants, people, communityis dedicated to fostering holistic environmental and advancing food systems through culturally relevant programming. We empower communities by integrating conservation strategies, emphasizing the intrinsic link between cultural vitality and ecological health. Our initiatives-spanning urban farm management, seed sovereignty, botanical fieldwork, habitat restoration, and policy advocacy in food systems-include educational programs that foster hands-on learning and active community engagement. Bcdi enhances both ecological understanding and practical skills through broad-based collaboration in our communities, nurturing resilient ecosystems and promoting both cultural and physical well-being. By celebrating and revitalizing our botanical heritage within ecological contexts, bcdi strives to cultivae a profound appreciation and respect for the diversity of our planet's ecosystems and their integral relationship with human communities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Plants, people, community empowers communities by actively engaging in urban agriculture, seed sovereignty, and culturally relevant botanical education. We focus on dismantling barriers and cultivating reciprocal relationships with our ecosystems, ensuring equity for bipoc, lgbtqia+, and other historically marginalized groups. Through hands-on farm management, educational outreach, and policy advocacy, we strive to nurture both ecological and community resilience. Bcdi champions oommunity-led inititiaves, ensuring that our work not only supports but is driven by the communities we serve, promoting ecological sustainbility, social equity, and human well-being.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 5
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.4%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 74.1%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -8.4%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.95; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 30.4%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -7.9% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 38.5% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.4% of revenue deployed · 74.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 4 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $212K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $87K · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 39/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.