Trees For Houston
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 760046318
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Houston, TX, USA
- Phone
- 7138408733
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $4,049,377
- Expenses
- $4,318,992
- Assets
- $15,930,308
- Liabilities
- $192,885
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
36 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Tom Flaherty (President)
- Barton Kelly (Vice President)
- Larry Nettles (Vice President)
- Barry J Ward (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Barry J Ward (Executive Director): $219,264 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Plant, protect and promote trees all over the greater Houston area.
What it reported doing in 2024
The mission of the Trees For Houston (TFH) Education Program is to expand the awareness of the critical role that trees play in our community for residents of all ages and grade levels. In addition to planting trees at 25 schools or more per year, TFH conducts education presentations to school children and adults throughout the region. During the 2024-2025 planting season, the classroom education program provided Growing Together kits containing native tree seed, soil, a container, and a ruler to nearly 1,000 students. Continued on Schedule O The hands-on events educated more than 40,000 adults and children on proper tree planting, protection and care, and TFH presented tree planting information and materials to over 1,000 people at outreach events including civic association, garden club, and professional organization meetings. TFH also provides educational and hands-on activities to encourage the community to learn about the importance of trees in our urban environment at the Trees For Houston Kinder Campus. TFH has provided children and families with more than 50 different opportunities to engage with the organization. Activities include potting up seedlings, children's book series programs, and basic tree biology and identification.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 94% 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
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 expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 47
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 84.5%; rating input score 84
- Program expense ratio: 77.7%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- 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; 63rd 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: -6.7%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.69; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.1%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 18.1% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 84.5% of revenue deployed · 77.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 35 of 35 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $219K · 36 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $767K reported
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 53/100.