Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
870741150
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Dallas, TX, USA
Phone
2147164500
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Parks and Playgrounds

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,878,816
Expenses
$7,563,758
Assets
$87,470,083
Liabilities
$5,853,050

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATHRYN SAWERS (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHRYN SAWERS (PRESIDENT & CEO): $574,804 total reported compensation
  • LAWRENCE MCCOY (EXECUTIVE VP, FINANCE & ADMIN): $361,248 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL GAFFNEY (EXECUTIVE VP OF OPERATIONS): $175,203 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to provide free programming and educational opportunities for the enrichment of the lives of our visitors, to showcase the multitude of cultures and talents Dallas has to offer, and to serve as a town square where citizens congregate and create traditions together. The 5.4-acre Park relies on contributions from donors to keep it clean, safe and active for more than 2 million visitors each year.

What it reported doing in 2024

Klyde warren park offers the over 2 million visitors annually with 1,300 free programs and events. These events include fitness classes, live music, children's activities, movie nights and holiday celebrations. In addition, the park provides table tennis, foosball, badminton, and a dog park. The park has become an oasis in the heart of dallas, providing connectivity between downtown and uptown communities. The uniqueness of its landscape makes it a perfect venue for public and private events. The park has had tremendous economic impact on the area, specifically the many residential and office buildings surrounding it. The foundation has substantially begun design development of phase ii of klyde warren park, which is intended to provide additional open space, event space and retail on two separate deck structures over woodall rodgers freeway. The project is a collaboration between the foundation and various governmental organizations including the city and the Texas department of transportation. The foundation is leading the capital campaign and the design development of phase ii. Additionally, in 2022, the foundation completed its renovation of the children's park, and a completely reimagined east side including an iconic water fountain.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 64% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 47
  • Transparency & Controls: 95
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 42.5%; rating input score 42
  • Program expense ratio: 63.2%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.34 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: 95.7%; rating input score 96; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 36.3%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.56; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.1%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 42.5% of revenue deployed · 63.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 23 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $575K · 27 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.2M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 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: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 42/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 26/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.