The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
814431199
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Norfolk, VA, USA
Phone
7576811405
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$410,247
Expenses
$437,365
Assets
$2,363,881
Liabilities
$107,699

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

People named in this filing

  • CHRISTINE NEIKIRK (CHAIR)
  • MEL PRICE (VICE CHAIR)
  • ANN STOKES (SECRETARY)

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

Organization's mission through the master planning, programming and advocacy of this urban waterfront trail, we are able to provide multi-model access to our historic working waterfront, connect 28 communities along 10.5 miles and serve as a safe place to recreate and restore green space in an urban setting, working to connect naval station norfolk to the Virginia beach trail.

What it reported doing in 2024

The elizabeth river trail (ert) foundation offers over 100 opportunities each year to better the quality of life for residents and visitors. Through free public recreational and educational programming, including nature for all programs, trailwell holistic outdoor literacy, and extensive trail beautification, surface widening, maintenance, and installation of , amenities, gardens and trees for public usage designed to activate and enhance the elizabeth river trail in norfolk, va. Five digital trail counters accurately record trail usage at 696,800 users per year. In august 2024 the ert hosted the first community olympics activating three public parks and 6 miles of trail, in november the jeff robertson park trailhead shelter was installed; a partnership with tidewater tech skilled-trade students, in april 2025 the lambert's point trailhead shelter was installed, the first to include lighting, this ribbon cutting culminated a semester's long project with old dominion university parks, rec and tourism studies students on outdoor programming. In june, the ert was designated a national recreation trail by the department of interior/national park service. Named thrive young professional's organization of the year and awarded hampton roads chamber's nonprofit of the year.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 64% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.6%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 79.6%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.19 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: 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: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6.6%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.4; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.9% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -14.8% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -8.1% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.6% of revenue deployed · 79.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $348K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 23 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 27/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.