The Conservation Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 237221206
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Naperville, IL, USA
- Phone
- 6304284500
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Land Resources Conservation
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $7,541,114
- Expenses
- $4,033,119
- Assets
- $21,166,151
- Liabilities
- $6,931,895
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
25 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BROOK MCDONALD (PRESIDENT/CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- BROOK MCDONALD (PRESIDENT/CEO): $255,595 total reported compensation
- JOHN MCCRACKEN (DIRECTOR OF DRSCW): $120,883 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We improve the health of our communities by preserving and restoring natural areas, protecting rivers and watersheds, and promoting stewardship of our environment.
What it reported doing in 2024
Facilitated the donation of 102 acres of land to the kane cty fpd. Purchased 122 acres of land in kane cty for eventual new forest preserve. Restored and managed more than 1,137 acres of natural area. Served more than 1900 families from our organic vegetable farm, including low-income families, provided more than 26,000 pounds of food to local food pantries. Provided professional staffing to 4 local watershed groups that protect the stream resource quality for 7.4 million people in the salt creek, dupage, des plaines river, and chicago area watersheds. Provided salt smart winter best practices training for over 1,300 participants. Provided environmental conservation programming and outreach to nearly 18,000 people. Organized the dupage river and fox river cleanup events, engaging more than 1160 volunteers and cleaning 47 miles of rivers. Expanded nature rx program into kane county; involved more than 1,400 people in the take-a-hike challenge. Engaged over 2,500 individuals through conservation@ home and conservation@ work, distributed over 900 rain barrels to local communities, installed 3 new pollinator and native plant demonstration gardens, and distributed thousands of native plants, trees and shrubs to homeowners. Engaged over 50 partners through nature rx initiative, reaching over 3,600 participants. Served more than 3,200 children and educators in our environmental education programs.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 77% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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
SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 61
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 75
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 50.1%; rating input score 50
- Program expense ratio: 84.1%; rating input score 84
- Fundraising efficiency: $13.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 46.5%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.25; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 9.3%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.9% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 50.1% of revenue deployed · 84.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $256K · 25 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 50/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 48/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.