Trellis for Tomorrow

What it reported doing in 2025

Trellis for tomorrow (the organization") is a nonprofit organization located in phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Trellis for tomorrow works to build resilient communities from the ground up. Trellis offers three highly effective and impactful youth development programs that intersect in myriad ways.see description of programs on schedule o of return.food for all (ffa) is a collaborative gardening program that provides life-giving, high-impact community engagement opportunities for partnering organizations including corporations, universities, faith-based institutions, non-profits, and other community groups. Staff design and install attractive raised-bed gardens at each partner site and provide all necessary resources and education for participants to manage the garden. Growing partners commit to donating at least half of their harvest to local pantries and other food assistance agencies, which has an immediate and significant impact on access to nutrient-dense produce for community members adversely affected by limited access to fresh foods. Since its inception in 2013, ffa has engaged volunteers to grow hundreds of thousands of pounds of produce that generated over a million servings of fruits and vegetables for neighbors in need.seed skills (seed) is a year-round youth development program built around student-led enterprises and environmental discovery. Adolescents, aged 12-18, engage in classroom and garden-based activities and receive mentorship that builds workforce preparedness and life skills while fostering leadership and personal agency. Programming has the added benefit of improving access to fresh, organic produce for participants and their communities. An "earn while you learn" program, seed simulates a true work environment in a safe and supportive space. Under guidance from expert staff, participants come together to create and implement an equitable, community-building business model that has them collaborating and problem-solving with real-life scenarios.a natural progression from seed is our grow careers (grow) program. Grow is a highly effective internship training and placement program for youth ages 16-24, giving participants meaningful experiences as they get real opportunities in the workplace. Trellis recruits interns and provides valuable training through active and ongoing mentorship, 1x1 and group coaching, workshops, and workplace simulations. Trellis matches interns with area non-profits and social impact businesses for paid internships, providing ongoing support to both the interns and the host sites. Post-internship, trellis continues to be available as a mentor and resource to help interns process their experience and advance their education and/or career goals.beyond this, the newly established agricultural learning center at lundale farm is a place of inspiration and education as a catalyst for people to grow food where they live, work, learn, and play. The alc serves as a regional hub, providing seedlings, produce, and education that creates a wide range of positive impacts across four counties. The goal of the alc is to provide an opportunity for local individuals and organizations to learn about innovative, sustainable, urban agricultural systems and methods that they can employ in their own communities, along with basic techniques for managing those systems and methods. The alc is a resource hub, providing interactive exhibits and volunteer experiences that are appropriate for field trips and larger groups, as well as more specific education and training opportunities for smaller groups. The development and implementation of a learning center fulfilled lundale's goal to provide education into the community and provided the land and a greenhouse space that trellis needed to support both the propagation of seedlings (80,000-100,000 per year) and a space to develop urban agriculture learning exhibits and workshops.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 73.1%; rating input score 73
• Program expense ratio: 84.3%; rating input score 84
• Fundraising efficiency: $12.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 41; 41st 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th 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: 13.9%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.09; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.3; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.6%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 18.1% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings