Potato Sustainability Alliance Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
844245897
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
St Croix Falls, WI, USA
Phone
7632600209
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy

Reported finances

Revenue
$237,075
Expenses
$817,531
Assets
$899,173
Liabilities
$638,122

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN MESKO (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN MESKO (CEO): $203,326 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Catalyzing improvements and building solutions related to potato production through collaboration to accelerate widespread adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in the united states and canada that protect the environment and promote the common good. These activities include measuring and benchmarking sustainability performance, creating harmonized sustainability standards, collaborating with partners and researchers to improve sustainability performance, engaging in communication, outreach and education, and conducting fundraising.

What it reported doing in 2025

We are advancing a common vision of potato sustainability, while delivering economic, environmental and social outcomes at scale.the potato sustainability alliance (psa) consists of growers, supply chain partners, non-profit organizations and advisors working together to improve the economic, environmental and social aspects of potato production in the united states and canada. In conjunction with our partners, we support the identification and adoption of sustainable production practices and meet consumer and market expectations by benchmarking the farm level sustainability performance of potato production.the purpose of potato sustainability alliance, inc. ("psa or the "alliance") is to catalyze improvements and build solutions related to potato production through collaboration to accelerate widespread adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in the united states and canada that protect the environment and promote the common good. These activities include measuring and benchmarking sustainability performance, creating harmonized sustainability standards, collaborating with partners and researchers to improve sustainability performance, engaging in communication, outreach and education, and conducting fundraising.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 98% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 15
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 78.2%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.14 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -244.8%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.1; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.71; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 24.9%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 27% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 78.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $639K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $203K · 25 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 3/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.