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Trust for Public Land

CharityWatch rating issued
October 2022

Top-Rated Charity
A-
CharityWatch Rating
Our independent rating based
on a number of factors.
 
76%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$15
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

Trust for Public Land
23 Geary Street
Suite 1000
San Francisco, CA 94108

Other Names

10 Minute Walk

Tax Status

501(c)3

Website

www.tpl.org

Stated Mission

Creates parks & protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.

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Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 06/30/2021

Program Percentage: 76%

The percentage of Trust for Public Land's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses).

$117,000,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $15

How many dollars Trust for Public Land spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$88,000,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
The Trust for Public Land & Affiliate Audited Consolidated Financial Statements multiple
The Trust for Public Land IRS Form 990 23-7222333
Entity: The Trust for Public Land & Affiliate
Document Type: Audited Consolidated Financial Statements
Tax ID: multiple
Entity: The Trust for Public Land
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 23-7222333

Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
This charity is Top-Rated
What does it mean to be Top-Rated?
 
Trust for Public Land
meets governance benchmarks.
 
Trust for Public Land
meets transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy Opt-Out Policy  

  Name Title Compensation
1 Diane C. Regas President $498,685
2 Ling I. Thompson Senior VP/Chief Communications & Marketing Officer $314,963
3 James H. Obendorf Senior VP/Chief Financial & Administration Officer $309,759
1
Name: Diane C. Regas
Title: President
Compensation: $498,685
2
Name: Ling I. Thompson
Title: Senior VP/Chief Communications & Marketing Officer
Compensation: $314,963
3
Name: James H. Obendorf
Title: Senior VP/Chief Financial & Administration Officer
Compensation: $309,759

CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.

CharityWatch's rating of The Trust for Public Land is for the 501(c)(3) public charity entity (tax ID #23-7222333) and does not include the related 501(c)(4) tax-exempt, social welfare organization, The Trust for Public Land Action Fund (tax ID #04-3515341). CharityWatch does not provide a separate rating for the Action Fund at this time due to its relatively small size.


CharityWatch separates the ratings for 501(c)(3) & 501(c)(4) organizations, even if their financial activities are included together in a consolidated audit, due to their differing treatments under the IRS tax code. For more information on this topic, please see our sections on Types of Non-Profits, Tax Status, and Treatment of Related Organizations, which can be found on the Our Process page. For more information about things to consider when donating to organizations that have related public charity and social welfare entities, read "Sorting Out Nonprofit Pairs" in the "Articles & Alerts" section, below.

According to The Trust for Public Land consolidated audit of June 30, 2021 (Note 8, Notes Payable):

"In May 2020, the Trust for Public Land was granted a loan from the Small Business Administration in the amount of $6,484,335 under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP, established as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), provides for loans to qualifying businesses for amounts up to 2.5 times of the average monthly payroll expenses of the qualifying business. The loan and accrued interest may be forgiven as long as the Trust for Public Land uses the loan proceeds for eligible purposes, including payroll, benefits and utilities, and maintains its payroll levels. The amount of loan forgiveness will be reduced if certain requirements are not met. The loan was forgiven in full in June 2021 and is recognized in other changes in net assets as a gain on extinguishment of debt in the [audited] Consolidated Statement of Activities and Changes in Net Assets."

According to The Trust for Public Land consolidated audit of June 30, 2021 (Note 12, Commitments and Contingencies, Contract Commitments):

"The Trust for Public Land had future construction contract commitments for parks and playgrounds of approximately $7,602,000 and $9,809,000 as of June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Trust for Public Land funds its park and playground work through cost reimbursement contracts and restricted operating grants."

According to The Trust for Public Land consolidated audit of June 30, 2021 (Note 17, COVID-19 Pandemic):

"On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization publicly characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. States of emergency were declared in many federal, state, and local jurisdictions and shelter-in-place orders were instituted in many cities and states, impacting business operations in most industries and sectors. There has been no significant impact on the Trust for Public Land's operations. Staff are currently working remote with business travel and events resuming in accordance with federal, state, and city mandates. As discussed in Note 8 [cited separately, above], the Trust for Public Land received a PPP loan to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on its operations, and the loan was forgiven during the year ended June 30, 2021."


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