The Westerly Land Trust

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
222864907
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Westerly, RI, USA
Phone
4013152610
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,301,518
Expenses
$898,650
Assets
$8,040,792
Liabilities
$2,817,609

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GAIL MALLARD (VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACQUISI)
  • LINDA GRIFFIN (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • NICHOLAS J STAHL (PRESIDENT)
  • JENNIFER FUSCO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JENNIFER FUSCO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $152,869 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The westerly land trust conserves open space, revitalizes culturally significant properties, and provides environmental programs for the enduring benefit of our community.

What it reported doing in 2025

The land trust currently holds 32 properties totaling more than 1,900 acres. The most recent acquisitions were camp quequatuck in december 2025. In 2004, the westerly land trust expanded its mission to include re-development of blighted commercial properties in areas of historical significance in downtown westerly. The concept is that smart growth will benefit the town and reduce development pressure on environmentally sensitive areas. In addition to the historic united theater, montgomery ward, and industrial trust buildings, the land trust and its partners own properties between main street and the pawcatuck river. As part of wlt's 2023 strategic planning process, the board and staff extended the urban initiative to include more than just downtown, with the new goal reading: to provide access to nature for everyone, wlt will continue to steward our current urban properties and work to conserve green spaces in other developed areas of westerly.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 50.4%; rating input score 50
  • Program expense ratio: 72.1%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.53 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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; 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: 31%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.95; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.35; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.1% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -6.7% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 50.4% of revenue deployed · 72.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $647K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $153K · 16 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 50/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.