The Vital Ground Foundation Inc

What it reported doing in 2025

Land conservation: vital ground identifies crucial grizzly bear habitat on privately owned land and works with willing landowners to protect the land's conservation values. This is accomplished by acquiring conservation easements through donation or bargain purchase, or by purchasing land in fee title then managing it to benefit wildlife and the public. Vital ground has a perpetual responsibility to monitor the lands on which it holds conservation easements to ensure compliance with the terms of the conservation easements. Vital ground also manages and works to restore the land it owns to provide quality habitat for the benefit of grizzly bears and other wildlife. In addition to developing and managing its own projects, vital ground strategically provides grants to agencies, governmental entities and other nonprofit conservation organizations to assist their efforts to conserve and restore important wildlife habitat and prevent conflicts between bears and people.2025 accomplishments include: conservation easements - acquired four conservation easements in Montana totaling 5,220 acres to protect highly threatened grizzly bear habitat within and between the northern continental divide, cabinet-yaak and bitterroot grizzly bear recovery areas.- monitored 23 conservation easements held by vital ground in Montana, three conservation easements held by vital ground in Idaho, and four u.s. Forest service forest legacy program conservation easements held by the Idaho department of lands in Idaho. Land acquisition and management- acquired one property totaling 50 acres in fee-title in Montana to protect wildlife habitat and scenic values, and to specifically conserve key grizzly bear linkage habitat at the southern end of the northern continental divide ecosystem.- acquired one property totaling 200 acres in fee-title in Idaho to protect wildlife habitat, and to specifically conserve key grizzly bear habitat in the selkirk ecosystem.- continued promoting the goals of the u.s. Forest service's community forest and open space program through forest stewardship activities at vital ground's alvord lake community forest, conducted in partnership with the public stakeholders' committee that guides management of the forest.- monitored and managed five fee-title conservation properties in Idaho and seven fee-title conservation properties in Montana.- conducted wildlife habitat enhancement activities on properties in bonner county, Idaho, and in lincoln and sanders counties, Montana.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 65%; rating input score 65
• Program expense ratio: 89%; rating input score 89
• Fundraising efficiency: $26.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 26%; rating input score 26; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• 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: 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: 29.5%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.85; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.7%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 14.2% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 15.3% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings