Silas L Griffith Trust Trust Company of Vermont Trustee

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
036005941
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Rutland, VT, USA
Phone
8022304019
Rating
34
Verdict
REVIEW
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Private Independent Foundations
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$87,687
Expenses
$99,362
Assets
$1,049,183
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

1 person listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Trust Company of Vermont (Trustee): $14,657 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

This trust was created in 1903 by the will of Silas Griffith. The purpose of this trust is to provide financial support to the Danby Congregational Church, including the church subcommittee fund for Christmas gifts and clothing for the needy children of Danby and Mt Tabor, the Silas Griffith Memorial Library, the Mt Tabor School District, and the Danby School District.

What it reported doing in 2025

The Silas Griffith Trust itself has no program services. The primary exempt purpose of this trust is to provide financial support for the Congregational Church, a subcommittee of the church which provides funds for Christmas gifts and clothing for needy children of Danby/Mt Tabor, the Danby/Mt Tabor public school, and the Danby Public Library - all of which are 501(c)(3) organizations. These named organizations are provided for from the annual earnings generated by the trust's investments. Effective July 1, 2021 the trustee, after taking into account the intentions of the settlor of the trust as expressed in the governing instrument, the needs of the beneficiaries, general economic conditions, projected current earnings and appreciation of the trust, and projected inflation and its impact on the trust, has decided to pay out as net income 4% of the fair market value as determined as of December 31 of each year, in equal installments.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.

The verdict

REVIEW - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 0
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 6
  • Sustainability: 47
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • Other executive compensation review process: Limited
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -13.3%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.56; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.8%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed · 0% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 1 board members independent · 1 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
  • Leadership: top reported pay $15K · 1 people listed
  • Consistency: 12 of 12 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 39/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.