Tryon Life Community Farm

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
201887272
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2017
Location
Portland, OR, USA
Phone
5032453847
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$107,453
Expenses
$105,496
Assets
$1,088,343
Liabilities
$112,408

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Katherine Flanagan (President)

People named in this filing

  • Paige Evans (Secretary Treasurer)
  • Katherine Flanagan (President)
  • Borden Beck (Board member)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

TLC Farm brings people together to root into relationships with each other and the land, by sharing tools for community-based sustainability and social change, and tending resilient ecosystems.

What it reported doing in 2024

DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. *Increased Land Access* New volunteers have committed to tending the paths and outbuildings on the land, ensuring better access for all visitors. *Land Maintenance* Our volunteer Land Tending Team tended our existing structures, including putting new roofs and footings on our education kiosks that provide visitors with information about the land and organization. We also started construction of a new structure that will be used as a workshop and classroom space. *Invasive plant removal* Monthly work parties focused on removing invasive species like Himalayan blackberries, English Ivy and Lesser Celandine from most of the land and replanting with native plants. We had a large work day in the headwaters of the seasonal creek, sponsored by the Tryon Creek watershed council. *Animal Husbandry* TLC Farm is one the only educational urban farms in the Portland area to provide access to a dairy goat herd (managed by a land partner), which is very popular with all visitors, as well as an important opportunity to visit with and learn about traditional farm animals. The goats had babies in the spring - which always delights visitors. The roving chicken flock also provides eggs, education, and fertilization.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 65% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% 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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 92
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.8%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 92.5%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $736.23 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.8%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.32; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.3% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.4% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.8% of revenue deployed · 92.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $98K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 42 of 42 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 26/100.