Youth Farm and Market Project
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 411896055
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2019–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2009
- Location
- Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Phone
- 6128724226
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Children's, Youth Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $204,018
- Expenses
- $634,572
- Assets
- $0
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- David Hamilton (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- David Hamilton (Executive Director): $74,479 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Youth Farm's mission is simple - we farm to grow. We farm to grow food, community, and, most importantly, young leaders. Youth learn to plant, grow, cook, and responsibly distribute local produce while developing real world leadership skills along the way by using food as a catalyst for change within their communities.Our work is grounded in our three guiding values as an organization - that we will work to center racial equity in all of our organization's operations, that we believe in youth as active leaders in our work, and that people know how to best care for themselves, their families, and their communities. These values are dynamic and are alive in our organizational work. We are committed to creating systems of accountability to live into them and using them as a foundation for future direction of our work.
What it reported doing in 2024
Youth Farm engaged over 375 youth annually across the Twin Cities, providing hands-on experiences in urban agriculture, food systems, and leadership. Through growing season programs, school-year activities, and community events, Youth Farm fosters youth engagement, leadership development, and a deep connection to local food systems.Youth Farm had 12 Project LEAD youth (ages 14-18) who were employed and participated in career and youth development programming.Youth Farm had 6 Farm Stewards (young adults) who employed and engaged in career development.225 Youth Farmers (ages 9-11) and All-Stars (ages 12-13) were involved in school-based programs, including recess activities, partnerships with classes/teachers, and school-wide events (e.g., plant distribution and school BBQs).150 youth (ages 9-13) were engaged in community-based programs, including cooking and gardening classes and other partnership opportunities.8,000 seedlings were grown and distributed through our Saint Paul greenhouse which resulted in hundreds of pounds of food free of distributed to our target communities and partners.Youth Farm had two large and nine small farm/garden spaces which were actively managed by Youth Led teams (Project LEAD and Farm Stewards) alongside their supervisors. 225 community members participated in volunteer opportunities, including community garden activities, plant distributions, and educational sessions. 27 volunteers supported our farm spaces and 20 community partners collaborated in youth program, technical assistance, and produce distribution. 20 community partners engaged through food advocacy meetings and planning neighborhood engagement opportunities.6 partner schools engaged with both in school opportunities and Extended Day Learning classes.Seed to Plate knowledge:100% of youth in our programs reported increased access to and consumption of fresh produce.95% of youth served reported increased skills and knowledge about healthy, seasonal eating and cooking.90% of youth served reported increased knowledge of local food systems and how produce is grown.Leadership:85% of youth reported increased/gained critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, project and program management, facilitation, evaluation, job skills.85% reported they gained community organizing and partnership development skills.85% reported increased resistance skills, self-esteem, sense of belonging, positive view of their personal future, sense of purpose, and personal power. 85% reported increased core competencies in youth development (FS), increased equitable access to experiential STE(A)M education opportunities for youth.90% reported increased social emotional skills, cultural responsiveness, ability to navigate intergenerational relationships, role modeling/mentoring skills.90% reported increased knowledge of and ability to access other neighborhood resources.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 81% 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
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: 84
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 4
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 75.4%; rating input score 75
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th 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: 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -211%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
- Officer compensation ratio: 11.7%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 75.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $478K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $74K · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 34/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.