Mission: Growing Home has a vision of a world of healthy people and communities. Everyone deserves to have a good job, and everyone deserves to eat well. That's why we've bee ... (More)
Growing Home is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1993, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Contact Information
825 West 69th Street
2nd Floor
Chicago IL 60621
Important note on the timeliness of ratings
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Financial and Accountability & Transparency score for Growing Home is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations.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.
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Star Rating System by Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator evaluates a nonprofit organization’s financial health including measures of stability, efficiency and sustainability. We also track accountability and transparency policies to ensure the good governance and integrity of the organization.
Exceptional
This charity's score is 92.21, earning it a 4-Star rating. Donors can "Give with Confidence" to this charity.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 88.99 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 100.00 View details
This score represents Form 990 data from 2020, the latest year published by the IRS.
View this organization’s historical ratings.
Star Rated Report
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Program Expense Ratio
78.4%
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. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Administrative Expenses
7.7%
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Expenses
13.7%
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
26.9%
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency
$0.12
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Working Capital Ratio
1.31 years
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Growth
6.38%
We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
Governance
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
| Governance: | |
|---|---|
| Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) | |
| No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
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| Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
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| Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) | |
| Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) | |
| Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) | |
| Compensates Board ... (More) |
Policies
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Policies: | |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest ... (More) | |
| Whistleblower ... (More) | |
| Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) | |
| CEO Compensation Process ... (More) | |
| Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) |
Transparency
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Transparency: | |
|---|---|
| CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) | |
| Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Audited Financial Statements on Website ... (More) | |
| Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) |
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Janelle St. John, Executive Director
$100,038 (5.87% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2019
Business Master File Data
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:
Described in section 170(b)1)(a)(vi) of the Code (BMF activity code: 994)
Job training, counseling, or assistance (BMF activity code: 566)
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)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
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 view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Pandemic Response
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. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Growing Home reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
Grants Received
Grants Sent
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
in light of COVID-19, we increased our food donations and did door-to-door deliveries year round. Our delivery system proved very successful in reaching more people while also maintaining their safety. Because of our ability to quickly pivot our programming, we did not suffer much financial hardship. In fact, we have been very fortunate as many of our funders have increased their funding or transitioned their program support into general operating grants to ensure we would be able to make any adjustments needed to continue serving our community.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on Chicago, and even more so in marginalized black and brown neighborhoods such as Englewood. This made it extremely crucial to adjust our programs, and we are proud to say that these changes have been successful. Even during the pandemic, we were able to pivot our Job Training program to maintain our staffing and continue to meet the needs of our community. We transitioned our job training program to a virtual platform by providing laptops and hotspots to all trainees who needed it.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Before COVID-19, Growing Home made a strategic goal to increase our food distribution in Englewood from 20% to 50%; achieving this was contingent on us developing our new farm site. In April 2020, we completed construction of another 16,500 square foot farm in Englewood, implementing this plan to add a third site to our campus and grow an additional 8,000 pounds of produce per year -- 9,600 meals per year using USDA calculations. All produce from this third farm site is distributed in Englewood through affordable sales and donations. Due to COVID-19, we have far surpassed our 2020 Working Plan goal by donating 100% of our harvest to the Englewood community, our alumni, and current trainees. To ensure the safety of our staff and residents, the Growing Home engagement and food access team delivered to our residents, and anyone who expressed interest in accessing food. Thanks to our partnerships with other local organizations were able to include non-perishable food with our produce.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
As COVID-19 has increased the need for access to healthy produce, we have worked to adjust our operations to grow during the winter months by heating our crop housing units and growing produce that can survive lower temperatures. We intend to keep that momentum going moving forward.
Historical Ratings
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 5/1/2022 | 2020 | 92.21 | |
| 4/1/2022 | 2020 | 90.77 | |
This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. | |||
| 2/1/2021 | 2019 | 84.95 |  |
| 3/1/2020 | 2018 | 88.93 | |
| 6/1/2019 | 2017 | 82.45 | |
| 12/1/2017 | 2016 | 81.65 | |
| 10/1/2017 | 2015 | 79.70 |  |
| 9/1/2017 | 2015 | 75.41 | |
Previous: Finance & Accountability / Next: Leadership & Adaptability
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
Growing Home cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating 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.
Do you work at Growing Home? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
Growing Home reported its largest program on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
$1,384,402
Spent in most recent FY
100%
Percent of program expenses
Employment Training Program and Organic Farm
Previous: Impact & Results / Next: Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
This score 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.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by Growing Home is a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of the organization's Leadership & Adaptability through the nonprofit organization submitting a survey response directly to Charity Navigator.
Leadership & Adaptability Report
100
of 100 points
Mission
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s mission
Growing Home’s mission is to operate, promote, and demonstrate the use of organic urban agriculture as a vehicle for job training, employment, and community development. Our unique employment training program uses farming to teach transferable skills to individuals with barriers to employment, giving them the opportunity to secure full-time, stable jobs. Through our USDA-certified organic farms, we also provide healthy, fresh food and food education to our neighbors in Englewood.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
We believe everyone deserves access to a good job and good food.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Strategic Goals
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: A larger food processing area & indoor agriculture space will allow us to increase food production by over 70%. This will enhance our basic food outreach programs, free and discounted produce.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: An indoor agriculture space would allow us to initiate training in “higher tech” agriculture such as hydroponics. The job market is looking for skilled employees in theres more specialized areas.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Three: Increasing the number of people employed and trained at Growing Home will increase our impact on individuals and their families, as well as our community.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
Growing Home believes that professional leadership development of staff is essential. A Certification course called "Conscious Ambassador of Trauma Informed Care" was made a priority for all staff to not only look inward for self-reflection but to be better leaders in the community we serve.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Mobilizing for Mission
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
We have a robust Community Engagement program that includes events, speaking engagements, tours, volunteer programs, cooking demonstrations & K-12 workshops in our Learning Garden. Through cooking demonstrations, farm tours and events, and community outreach, we share with our customers and their families how to integrate nutritious foods into our daily lives. Growing Home posts several times a week about upcoming events and partnerships on social media with a following of 16,495 followers. We are proud to have an array partnerships including Greater Chicago Food Depository, The Salvation Army Red Shield Center in Englewood, Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), Englewood Village Market and Grow Greater Englewood, University of Illinois Chicago among others. We also have a robust volunteer program that offers people an opportunity to learn more about our work, to expand their skills and to offer team building experiences.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Story of Adaptability
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Growing Home was able to pivot our Job Training program during COVID-19 and therefore able to maintain our staffing and continue to meet the needs of our community. We transitioned our job training program to a virtual platform. Our success of this transition was contingent on our ability to meet the technology gap of our trainees. We did so by providing laptops and hotspots to all trainees who needed it. Our ability to pivot our program is even more important today as COVID-19 has further exacerbated socio-economic conditions impacting Englewood residents and businesses. As of April of 2021, approximately 70 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Chicago have been Black residents -- despite the city's total population being only 30 percent Black. As of May 2020, Chicago’s unemployment rate was at 17.00% compared to 3.70% last year. Though we do not have exact data for Englewood, one can imagine that the situation is even more dire for a community that was already heavily disinvested and has a high population of individuals with limited higher education, criminal backgrounds, and poverty. Despite all this, we pivoted to remote programming which included all of our important employment training curriculum along with: one-on-one case management and additional hours of counseling and support via phone; virtual job readiness workshops including video interview and computer skills; and access to and participation in virtual job fairs. We were also able to bridge the digital divide by providing laptops and hotspots to all production assistants in need of internet and technological access. And during this time we even called each member of our 500+ alumni community to connect them with food, housing, unemployment and healthcare services if needed and found job opportunities for our graduates who have lost their jobs.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Additional Information
Unscored
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Organization Leadership
Janelle St. John
Executive Director
Lynn Sheck
Board President
Previous: Leadership & Adaptability
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. Learn more about how and why we rate Culture & Community.
Culture & Community Score
Not Currently Scored
Growing Home is currently not eligible for a Culture & Community score because we have not received its Constituent Feedback or Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion data. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the How We Listen and Equity Practices sections of their Candid profile.
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.
Culture & Community Report
Unscored
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
This organization has not provided information regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices it is presently implementing. As such, the organization has not earned a score on this metric. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Methodology
We are utilizing data collected by Candid to document and assess the DEI practices implemented by the organization. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the Equity Strategies section of their Candid profiles to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Constituent Feedback
Constituent Feedback and Listening Practice data are not available for this organization. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Methodology
We've partnered with Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Below you can find more information about the metrics we currently evaluate in this beacon and their relevance to nonprofit performance.
Constituent Feedback
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
