Renewing the Countryside
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 200189339
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Hammond, MN, USA
- Phone
- 5072913663
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Education N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,485,137
- Expenses
- $2,837,433
- Assets
- $1,570,784
- Liabilities
- $279,703
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ARIEL KAGAN (PRESIDENT)
- JAN JOANNIDES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- JAN JOANNIDES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $90,206 total reported compensation
- JODY PADGHAM (FINANCE DIRECTOR): $60,113 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Renewing the countryside strengthens rural areas by championing and supporting rural communities, farmers, artists, entrepreneurs, educators, activists and other people who are renewing the countryside through sustainable and innovative initiatives, businesses, and projects. We do this by sharing stories of rural renewal, building awareness and support for sustainable endeavors, connecting people interested in sustainable rural development to each other, providing practical assistance and networking opportunities for those working to improve rural america, and fostering connections between urban and rural people.
What it reported doing in 2024
Local food systemwe work to develop systems that support a robust local food system. Rtcoffers individualized technical assistance to small and mid-sizedfarmers and food businesses and institutions who are incorporatinglocal foods into their menus and onto their shelves. We support sixregional farmers markets hubs, expanding operations through productaggregation and sales to individuals consumers, wholesale andinstitutional buyers. We are a partner in the artisan graincollaborative, working to develop short, values-based supply chains, with a goal to incorporate more small and artisan grains in the uppermidwest landscape. As co-founder of the feast! Network, we coordinate the feast! Local foods marketplace in rochester, mn, as well as an annualtradeshow connecting foodmakers to wholesale buyers, and produce anannual local feast! Magazine. We work with farmers, processors andspecialty food manufacturers to increase their use of local farms andbolster the supply chain for local food in our region, in 2024 developing a specific focus on building capacity for functional berries. Adedictated staff team makes connections through farm to early care andfarm to school and institution programs, including supporting communitygardens and home-based day cares in st paul and offering education andfun projects to get children excited about growing and eating localfruits and vegetables, including distribution of local csa farm boxes to 10 st paul day care centers.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 79% for direct work, and 21% for grants.
- 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: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 78
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 53
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 75.9%; rating input score 76
- Program expense ratio: 93.2%; rating input score 93
- Fundraising efficiency: $46.08 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 86.7%; rating input score 87; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 65.8%; rating input score 66; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- 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: 18.6%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.55; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.3%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 22% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 23.3% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 21.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 75.9% of revenue deployed · 93.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.6M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $90K · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 28 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 30 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 20/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 51/100.