Rural Investment to Protect Our Environment

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
863977878
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
6628224560
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$516,944
Expenses
$688,902
Assets
$1,244,525
Liabilities
$26,058

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • FRED COOKE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • WILLIAM BEAM (PRESIDENT UNTIL EARLY 2025)
  • ALANA PETERSEN (VICE PRESIDENT UNTIL EARLY 2025 PRESIDENT THEREAFTER)
  • STRATTON KIRTON (SECRETARY UNTIL EARLY 2025 AND VICE PRESIDENT THEREAFTER)

Highest reported compensation

  • FRED COOKE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $128,382 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Ripe's mission is to advance a fair value for voluntary agricultural stewardship.

What it reported doing in 2025

General programs support general operations and standing programs that include education, outreach, research, and communications. Primary education and outreach efforts include maintenance and growth of a farmer and rancher coalition that includes a steering committee, producer leader advisory network, and inclusion, diversity, equity and access (idea) committee. Research is focused on critical issues identified by the farmer and rancher coalition and is used to support additional education and outreach activities. Communications include website management, newsletters, blogs, social media, and storytelling.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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 total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.7%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 59.1%; rating input score 59
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th 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: 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -33.3%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.81; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.6%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 39.5% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 78.7% of revenue deployed · 59.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $407K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $128K · 9 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $102K reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 59/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.