The California 4-H Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 237327765
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Davis, CA, USA
- Phone
- 5307501389
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Youth Development - Agricultural
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,314,300
- Expenses
- $1,361,879
- Assets
- $2,378,286
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
People named in this filing
- CYNTHIA LYDON (CHAIR)
- ELISABETH WADE (VICE CHAIR)
- JUNE COLEMAN ESQ (SECRETARY/TR)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of the California 4-h foundation is to strengthen the impact of local 4-h efforts throughout California by raising funds for activities of the university of California 4-h youth development program statewide, and in counties and cities across California. The university of California 4-h youth development program engages youth in reaching their fullest potential while advancing the field of positive youth development.
What it reported doing in 2024
The foundation raises private funds to support, strengthen, and grow the university of California 4-h youth development program offered in communities across the state. The foundation also works with 4-h staff and volunteers to strengthen fundraising capacity statewide and in local communities by providing training and assistance in fundraising and fund development planning. The foundation provides marketing support to increase awareness about the depth and breadth of 4-h programing and the impacts achieved by 4-h for individual children, families, and communities in California. The mission of the university of California 4-h youth development program is to engage youth in reaching their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development. Approximately 75,000 youth between the ages of 5 to 19 supported by over 7,800 teen and adult volunteers participate in 4-h through a variety of programs including club-based projects, community service activities, camps, conferences, and school enrichment programs tailored to meet the needs of diverse communities and populations across California. All 4-h programs are designed to create large and diverse corps of articulate and compassionate young leaders grounded in research-based knowledge of the issues affecting our world today, such as climate change, water usage, alternative energy, food safety, agricultural and environmental science, technology, and community engagement. 4-h develops leadership, citizenship, and life skills in its participants at every level from the children who participate to the teens and adult volunteers who support them. The focus of all 4-h programs is positive youth development through activities in science, technology, engineering, math, healthy living, and citizenship. 4-h programs are distinguished by a combination of essential elements: -providing opportunities for youth and young adults to practice leadership by being a leader in a variety of contexts and settings; -promoting positive youth-adult partnerships that foster shared decision making; -learning-by-doing through research-based activities that promote inquiry and experiential learning; and -promoting and supporting civic engagement and contribution to one's self, community, and the world.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Affiliate network. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending through affiliated organizations.
- 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 75
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 51
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 84.2%; rating input score 84
- Program expense ratio: 79.3%; rating input score 79
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.62 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
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: 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -3.6%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.75; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -4.2% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 84.2% of revenue deployed · 79.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 14 people listed
- Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 16/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 27/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.