Tall Timbers Research Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
590952956
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Tallahassee, FL, USA
Phone
8508934153
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Biological & Life Sciences

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$22,954,861
Expenses
$27,398,206
Assets
$48,210,925
Liabilities
$4,862,062

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

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILLIAM E PALMER (PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • WILLIAM E PALMER (PRESIDENT/CEO): $273,228 total reported compensation
  • JULIAN MORGAN VARNER (DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH): $206,144 total reported compensation
  • GEOFFREY BEANE (PROJECT MANAGER (CFRQP)): $160,239 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of tall timbers research, inc. Is to foster exemplary land stewardship through research, conservation and education.our primary research focus is the ecology of fire and natural resource management including bobwhite quail and other wildlife in the southeastern coastal plain. Our conservation efforts are dedicated to helping protect the distinctive red hills landscape of south Georgia and north Florida, and its traditional land uses. Our education program transfers research and conservation information for resource management.defining exemplary land stewardship exemplary land stewardship (els) balances ecological values and economic utility within a framework of long-term conservation. The foundation of els on upland habitats in the red hills is the frequent use of fire to accommodate management for bobwhite quail, selection timber harvest, and other traditional land uses. Scenic, open multi-aged forest structures are fundamental to els.

What it reported doing in 2025

Fire research and outreach staff focused on critical research on wildland fuels, fire behavior, fire effects, and smoke in our local red hills area, more broadly across the southeastern coastal plain, and across the us. Fire researchers produced 22 scientific publications in 2025. Staff made 38 presentations via webinars and conferences on the impediments to prescribed fire, smoke science and management, plant community responses to fire, and dendrochronology to determine fire history over the last five centuries. Scientists worked with university faculty and 4 graduate students from Florida, Alabama, and Washington. Staff assisted with advanced fire education and training through the national interagency prescribed fire training center, national advanced fire research institute, and national advanced silviculture program, across the us. Staff led prescribed fire outreach and application on > 30 sites working with prescribed burn associations across Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, the delmarva peninsula, and in Texas. Staff engaged with managers and leadership of national fire management organizations in the departments of interior and agriculture on smoke and fire research and application priorities.

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.
  • 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 97
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 95.8%; rating input score 96
  • Fundraising efficiency: $107.14 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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; 64th 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: -19.4%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.76; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.7%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 95.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $26.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $273K · 28 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $4.5M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 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: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 48/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 52/100.