Whitefish Legacy Partners Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
200674119
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2010
Location
Whitefish, MT, USA
Phone
4068623880
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,677,778
Expenses
$860,840
Assets
$4,391,525
Liabilities
$20,787

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HEIDI VAN EVEREN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • HEIDI VAN EVEREN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $117,154 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Whitefish legacy partners is a non-profit organization whose community-minded vision is to ensure conservation, recreation and education on the lands around whitefish for future generations.

What it reported doing in 2024

Operations & education: whitefish legacy partners works as the community partner and catalyst to create a natural surface trail system, known as the whitefish trail, encompassing the 13,000 acres of state lands in our stunning backyard. Our work permanently protects and connects these important landscapes, supports the growth of tourism and the local economy, and engages the local community through mutually beneficial and sustainable solutions. Wlp's education and stewardship programs on the whitefish trail offer a unique opportunity to cultivate connections between our community, our natural lands, and our outdoor heritage. Whitefish legacy partners facilitates outings on the trail and we strive to educate locals, visitors, and youth about conservation and the interwoven elements of a thriving forest, scenic viewsheds, clean water, critical wildlife corridors, and quality recreation opportunities. Education and stewardship programs are funded 100% through whitefish legacy partners annual operations, grants, and private fundraising efforts.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 88% 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: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 80
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 49.4%; rating input score 49
  • Program expense ratio: 90.9%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $28.14 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 48.7%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.1; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.6%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -18.6% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.6% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.1% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 49.4% of revenue deployed · 90.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $782K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $117K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 49/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.