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2631 SISSON ST
Baltimore MD 21211-3119
Baltimore MD | IRS ruling year: 2009 | EIN: 26-4031411
TO RESTORE BALTIMORE'S URBAN FOREST THROUGH INCREASED TREE PLANTING, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND ADVOCACY.
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This charity's score is 95%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 90% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Baltimore Tree Trust Inc. is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Baltimore Tree Trust Inc. has earned a 94% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
Learn more
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not ApplicableBoard Composition - 16/16 - 25/25 ptsBoard Composition - 16/16 - 25/25 pts
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - Has Audit/Review - 20/20 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - Has Audit/Review - 20/20 pts
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
|---|---|
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsConflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 ptsBoard Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Missing - 0/3 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Missing - 0/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Missing - 0/3 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Missing - 0/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Website - Listed - 3/3 ptsWebsite - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 24.00% - 15/15 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 24.00% - 15/15 pts
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
| Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| Less than 50% | Full Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
| 60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Ratio - 81.06% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 81.06% - 25/25 pts
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
| Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| 70% or higher | Full Credit |
| 60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
| Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
No Data Available
Key Persons data is currently unavailable for this organization. This data is only available if this charity has at least one year of electronically-filed Form 990 data filed within the last six years.
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Activity data not reported from the IRS
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Baltimore Tree Trust Inc.) or EIN (264031411) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Baltimore Tree Trust Inc. reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Staffing
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
We are a community-based organization, so most of our marketing comes from word-of-mouth and public events. We were unable to host at least 20 volunteering opportunities and other types of gatherings/fundraising events that would have otherwise been converted into donations or fee-for-service revenue.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
Our flagship program provides job training to city residents in the landscaping/forestry industry. Due to COVID-related safety concerns we were unable to work with our employer-partners to deliver training events, seminars, job fairs, and the like. We were able to continue employing our trainees throughout the pandemic, but there were little to no job opportunities to place them with external partners for more than a year.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Secured "Essential Worker" documentation. Increased health & safety measures (e.g. end workday early to sanitize tools/vehicles). Rented an additional vehicle for our fleet so crew members didn't have to crowd in as much. Relaxed call-out/sick/family leave policies. Provided financial incentives and removed financial barriers for staff to receive COVID-19 tests/vaccine(s). Shifted training resources to online platform.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
Staff access to online training platform. Sanitation and more regular deep cleaning of tools and vehicles. Shift in operational model to rely more on staff instead of volunteers to complete projects.
Not Currently Scored
Baltimore Tree Trust Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Baltimore Tree Trust Inc. reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
TREES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH - TREE PLANTINGS, SITE PREPARATION, AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT TO RESTORE THE CITY'S URBAN FOREST AND MAKE BALTIMORE A HEALTHY AND BEAUTIFUL PLACE.
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
NEIGHBORHOOD FORESTERS PROGRAM THE APPRENTICESHIP HELPS RESIDENTS IN HISTORICALLY HIGH-CRIME AND ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED BALTIMORE CITY NEIGHBORHOODS TO DEVELOP THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO SECU ... (More)
NEIGHBORHOOD FORESTERS PROGRAM THE APPRENTICESHIP HELPS RESIDENTS IN HISTORICALLY HIGH-CRIME AND ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED BALTIMORE CITY NEIGHBORHOODS TO DEVELOP THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO SECURE JOBS IN FORESTRY AND LANDSCAPING AS THEY PLAY AN ACTI (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
YARD 56 TREE PLANTING PROJECT
Baltimore Tree Trust Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Learn More
Baltimore Tree Trust Inc. has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableMission - 10/10 ptsMission - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
TO RESTORE BALTIMORE'S URBAN FOREST THROUGH INCREASED TREE PLANTING, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND ADVOCACY.
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
By seeking out uncommon partnerships, spearheading neighborhood-scale greening efforts, and providing valuable job skills to a marginalized workforce, we are committed to a vision of a strong “green jobs'' sector and universal access to nature in Baltimore City.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals - 20/20 ptsGoals - 20/20 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Increase operational capacity to take on contractual/fee-for-service work.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Increase administrative capacity by hiring upper-level development and program staff.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Three: Diversify sources of funding.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Leadership Development - 15/15 ptsLeadership Development - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
In the past year, we have promoted 7 employees to new leadership positions and provided weekly 1-on-1s to keep their professional development on track. Upper-level employees have also received valuable professional certifications that the company paid for.
Mobilizing for Mission - 15/15 ptsMobilizing for Mission - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Policy Advocacy
We share office space with a sister nonprofit to reduce both organization's overhead costs. We recently presented at a regional industry conference and participate on citywide working groups with other organizations and city agencies to coordinate efforts and develop local ordinances.
Adaptability Story - 30/30 ptsAdaptability Story - 30/30 pts
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
As a nonprofit environmental organization, we typically work with hundreds of volunteers each year to educate them on the benefits of trees and to engage them in planting/maintaining trees throughout the city. Augmenting this work, we established a workforce development program in 2018 to (a) provide meaningful job opportunities to marginalized communities, (b) increase the scale our tree planting efforts, and (c) develop a replicable model for municipal tree care. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to work with volunteers or engage with employer-partners to deliver training opportunities for our crew members. However, with "essential worker" status, we were able to keep everyone employed and that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After taking numerous steps to ensure that we could provide a safe and healthy workplace, we were able to develop a deeper level of trust and understanding with many of our crew members who wound up working for us months longer than originally planned. We were able to work with individuals to develop stronger professional skills (e.g. attendance, interpersonal communication, leadership) find stable housing, reliable day care, drivers licenses, and other means of support that we likely would not have had to, or had the opportunity to, if external circumstances did not create a moral imperative to retain their positions with us. Moreover, we actually planted a higher number of trees during the pandemic than pre-pandemic, adding validation to our argument that tree planting/maintenance can be scaled up if it is professionalized.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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