The Talking Farm

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
300392847
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2020, Form 990-EZ 2024
Location
Skokie, IL, USA
Phone
8474255125
Rating
93
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$175,164
Expenses
$278,771
Assets
$79,053
Liabilities
$108,025

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Wendy Aeschlimann (President)

People named in this filing

  • Wendy Aeschlimann (President)
  • Maureen O'Brien (Treasurer)
  • Jennifer Schmidt (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-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Talking Farm grows produce, herbs, and flowers using sustainable practices while educating the community about agriculture, biodiversity, and horticulture through hands-on learning and example at Howard Street Farm and off-site teaching gardens.

What it reported doing in 2024

Howard Street Farm is a 3-acre urban farm in Skokie, IL. The farm is a site for growing fresh produce using sustainable agriculture practices, educational programs, and community gatherings.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% 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.

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: 94
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 16
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 84.2%; rating input score 84

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -59.1%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.28; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.37; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 84.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments · $235K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 4/100.