Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
412040096
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023
Location
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Phone
7075225868
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Agricultural Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$224,298
Expenses
$249,196
Assets
$245,874
Liabilities
$54,745

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Karissa Kruse Dutton (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Karissa Kruse Dutton (Executive Director): $93,090 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To support the skilled agricultural workforce and provide leadership on behalf of the agricultural community in the areas of resiliency, workforce development, leadership, empowerment, and recognition.

What it reported doing in 2024

Launched in 2018, the Employee Recognition Program honors vineyard employees who excel in Sonoma County's sustainable winegrape industry. All employees working for vineyard owners, vineyard management companies, or wineries are eligible. Each month, employers nominate individuals to recognize achievements across a range of areas including leadership, innovation, safety, frost protection, conservation, pruning, canopy management, and harvest.Monthly winners receive gift cards and community recognition through advertisements, social media, and local news coverage. The program culminates in an annual celebration, where employees, their families, and nominating managers gather for a catered lunch and live Mariachi music. At this event, the Employee of the Year is announced.Impact highlights: 314 vineyard employees recognized as Employee of the Month since 2018 7 Employees of the Year named, including the most recent celebrated in February 2025

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 90% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 63% for direct work, and 37% for grants.

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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 63
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.1%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 72.1%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.55 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -11.1%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.99; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 37.4%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -11.2% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.1% of revenue deployed · 72.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $180K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $93K · 17 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.