Summit Land Conservancy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
421538872
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Park City, UT, USA
Phone
4356499884
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$22,495,539
Expenses
$18,236,193
Assets
$12,102,646
Liabilities
$75,123

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHERYL FOX (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • CHRISTINA STORY (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • COLLEEN LOGAN (BOARD PRESIDENT)
  • WILL HODGMAN (PRESIDENT EMERITUS)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHERYL FOX (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $213,711 total reported compensation
  • KATHERINE SATTELMEIER (VP OF CONSERVATION & COUNSEL): $185,149 total reported compensation
  • MARCIA GRIFFITHS (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $133,198 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Summit land conservancy works with Utah communities to conserve land and water for the benefit of the people and nature.

What it reported doing in 2025

Stewardship and monitoring - see schedule o.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 83% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 93
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.7%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 96.5%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: $97.1 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 18.9%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.66; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.9%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 19% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18.4% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.1% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92.7% of revenue deployed · 96.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $17.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $214K · 20 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.