Sierra Foothill Conservancy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 936301478
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Mariposa, CA, USA
- Phone
- 2097425556
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Natural Resources Conservation and Protection
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,446,699
- Expenses
- $4,464,487
- Assets
- $39,220,458
- Liabilities
- $435,723
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BRIDGET FITHIAN (CEO)
- Paul Beare (President)
- Craig Poole (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- BRIDGET FITHIAN (CEO): $187,475 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Protect, manage and preserve lands and wildlife having unique natural resources and cultural qualities within and near the foothills of the sierra Nevada range.
What it reported doing in 2024
EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT- SFC Education and Outreach offers a variety of opportunities for the public to enjoy and connect to nature. Through our over 100 Hikes and Classes which are led by trained and experienced docents, opportunities to engage in our local conserved lands is a highlight of our Programs. SFC connected more than 6,700 people, from school children to senior citizens with SFC-protected lands. SFC won the prestigious Community Participant Award from the Fresno State Richter Center for our collaborative efforts in education and outreach.Our STEM-based Youth Education Program brings underserved K-12 students from nearby communities to our McKenzie Preserve where they focus on experiential learning that relates to science standards. Our volunteer workdays allow for multi preserve trail work, collaborations with Rotary, and other service groups, Fresno State University and other local schools and universities. Through grant funded partnerships SFC is able to complete trail work and other crucial stewardship tasks on several preserves.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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 filed totals do not add up.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 67
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 79
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 73.1%; rating input score 73
- Program expense ratio: 84.5%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $21.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- 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; 63rd 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: 18%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.78; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 73.1% of revenue deployed · 84.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $187K · 11 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 29 of 30 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.