Traverse Area Recreation & Transportation Trails Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
382847396
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Traverse City, MI, USA
Phone
2319414300
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,655,572
Expenses
$2,423,371
Assets
$10,081,348
Liabilities
$1,847,633

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MEG ACKERMAN (PRESIDENT)
  • JESSICA ALPERS (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ROSS HAMMERSLEY (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • JULIE CLARK (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • JULIE CLARK (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $134,089 total reported compensation
  • CASEY RESSL (DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR): $115,312 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To bring trails to life.

What it reported doing in 2024

During the year tart advanced major capital and programmatic initiatives to expand and strengthen the regional trail network. Significant expenses supported the acquisition of key properties to secure public access and long-term trail infrastructure, including property in torch lake township, antrim county, to establish a critical trailhead, and property in leelanau county along the leelanau trail to serve as a trailhead and maintenance hub with acquisition costs of $526,423. Tart also made substantial progress on the three-mile trail project through planning, engineering, and partnership coordination, positioning the project for future implementation. Looking ahead, tart will continue investing in trail construction and activation of newly acquired properties to expand access and community connection.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% 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 a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 45.4%; rating input score 45
  • Program expense ratio: 82.7%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $27.37 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: 47.9%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.16; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.3%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 45.4% of revenue deployed · 82.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $134K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 45/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Whistleblower policy not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.