Rooted in Play Corp
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 842170389
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2025–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2024
- Location
- Tampa, FL, USA
- Phone
- 8134942637
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Youth Development Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $233,358
- Expenses
- $204,932
- Assets
- $72,699
- Liabilities
- $9,231
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Margaret Willman (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Ashli Givens (COO): $18,400 total reported compensation
- Margaret Willman (CEO): $12,900 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Rooted in Play Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in 2019 and based in Tampa, Florida. The organizations mission is to ensure all children have access to child-led play by creating free, self-directed outdoor play opportunities for families, children, and educators in the Tampa Bay area.
What it reported doing in 2025
Popup Adventure Playground Project: The organization operated monthly free popup adventure playgrounds throughout Hillsborough County. In 2025, the program delivered 10 regular popup events and 5 specialized sensory hour events (15 total), serving 486 unique families across all years of operation, with attendance growing steadily through 2025. Events are free to attend and open to all children and families regardless of income. Every Child Plays Camp Program: In 2025, the organization launched its first summer camp program under the Every Child Plays grant. The program delivered 7 weeks of camp, including 2 shortened holiday-break weeks, 1 spring break week, and 4 consecutive full weeks in June, serving approximately 15-16 children per week at sites in Hillsborough County. Private Event Services: The organization provided playground setup services for schools and community organizations, generating $15,523 in earned revenue - a significant increase from $3,922 in 2024, reflecting growing demand from outside organizations. Financial Summary: Total revenues were $233,358 in 2025, up from $67,870 in 2024. Grant revenue of $207,505 came primarily from the Childrens Board of Hillsborough County ($197,505) and United Way Suncoast ($10,000). Program services represented 91% of total expenses. The organization ended 2025 with net assets of $63,468.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 85% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 75
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 39
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 80.1%; rating input score 80
- Program expense ratio: 91.2%; rating input score 91
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- 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: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 12.2%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.35; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 15.3%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 80.1% of revenue deployed · 91.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $187K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $18K · 7 people listed
- Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 9 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.