Rhode Island Food Policy Council

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
853650137
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2021
Location
Providence, RI, USA
Phone
4013656165
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,416,185
Expenses
$1,257,048
Assets
$708,144
Liabilities
$13,334

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DIANE LYNCH (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • AMBER JACKSON (BOARD MEMBER): $1,250 total reported compensation
  • STEVEN ARTHURS (BOARD MEMBERS): $1,000 total reported compensation
  • JULIUS SEARIGHT (BOARD MEMBER): $750 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Promoting a more equitable, economically vibrant, and environmentally sustainable food system in Rhode Island.

What it reported doing in 2024

Other programs: food and climate - therhode island food policy council convenes and supports a network of food & climate leaders to identify gaps and needs in the ecosystem and develop resources and partnerships to meet those needs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 71% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 54
  • Sustainability: 52
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.6%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 76.1%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.98 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 62.5%; rating input score 62; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.2%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.56; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.2%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 40.2% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 51.5% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 54.6% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.6% of revenue deployed · 76.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 8 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $957K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 31/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.