To promote and provide access to land, housing, capital, and economic opportunities for disadvantaged and low-income people; to promote the conservation of land and natural resources; and related charitable and educational purposes.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
73¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 10 volunteers and 5 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
5 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $103K a year · 20% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 5 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
73%
of spending
Fine: 73% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$68K
to officers and key staff · 13% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 13% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
91 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 90.8 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
3
named funders · $230K
Looks good: 3 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$5.3M
68% of total assets
Worth a look: liabilities are 68% of assets; over 65%.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
5
of 6 voting members
Looks good: 5 of 6 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$709K
+57% vs prior year
Spent
$519K
To programs
73%
Net assets
$2.5M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$709K
FY2025▲ +57%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$384K
FY2021$590K
FY2022$420K
FY2023$596K
FY2024$450K
FY2025$709K
Expenses
$519K
FY2025▲ +48%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$751K
FY2021$314K
FY2022$212K
FY2023$382K
FY2024$352K
FY2025$519K
Net assets
$2.5M
FY2025▲ +8%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.5M
FY2021$1.8M
FY2022$2.0M
FY2023$2.2M
FY2024$2.3M
FY2025$2.5M

From the FY2025 Form 990 · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jul 1997.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

73 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 73% · $381K Management & general 21% · $110K Fundraising 5% · $28K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

8 people listed on the 990; $68K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director
$68,438Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Clerk *past*
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director *past*
$0Pt VII · Sec A

James Oldham’s $68K as Executive Director is at the 63rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 2215 $100K–1M arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
James Oldham$68,438$65,299$64,164$57,897$53,215$52,532

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

See Equity Trust INC executive salaries →

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

Empowers communities with fair access to land and money for economic and social fairness.

Questions for Equity Trust INC

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Your first name shows with your question. Equity Trust INC answers here, for everyone.

Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $287K · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

Equity Trust Fund

Enabling socially conscious lenders and donors to support the preservation of affordable working farms, the development of affordable housing, and the implementation of other socially beneficial and environmentally sustainable projects. The fund added three new projects in 2025.

$130Kprogram expense
02

Education and technical assistance to existing and emerging community land trusts with a mission to hold and steward land for permanently affordable housing, food production, local enterprises, AND/OR community space; support for groups engaged in development of complementary strategies for community stewardship of land and property.

$84Kprogram expense
03

Education and technical assistance to promote the establishment and sustainability of environmentally sound farms that benefit their local communities. Support access to farmland for historically marginalized people and communities and the permanent protection of farmland and farm infrastructure and their affordability for working…

$74Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
Novo FoundationFY2024$150K
Total grants receivedfrom 3 funders$230K
See all 3 funders →
Grants paid · 2 grants · $41K · 2025–2025

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$709K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$535K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$133K
Investment incomeLn 3$41K
Money outPt IX
$519K
Ln 25
Programscol B$381K
Managementcol C$110K
Fundraisingcol D$28K
Owns and owesPt X
$2.5M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$3.9M
Total assetsLn 16$7.8M
LiabilitiesLn 26$5.3M
PeoplePt VI, VII
8
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a6
IndependentVI 1b5
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$535K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$133K
Investment incomeLn 3$41K
Total revenueLn 12$709K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$37K
SavingsLn 2$3.9M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$3.9M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$549K
Other assetsLn 15$1K
Total assetsLn 16$7.8M
LiabilitiesLn 26$5.3M
Net assetsLn 32$2.5M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 55
VolunteersI 610
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$2.8M$3.9M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$549K$549K
Total assetsLn 16$6.7M$7.8M
LiabilitiesLn 26$4.4M$5.3M
Net assetsLn 32$2.3M$2.5M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$41K$41K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$68K$57K$8K$4K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$245K$159K$67K$19K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$10K$7K$2K$678
Other employee benefitsLn 9$20K$14K$5K$1K
Payroll taxesLn 10$28K$19K$7K$2K
Accounting feesLn 11c$9K$9K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$13K$11K$2K$569
Office expensesLn 13$12K$8K$4K$584
OccupancyLn 16$10K$7K$2K$726
TravelLn 17$5K$5K$184$54
InterestLn 20$47K$47K
InsuranceLn 23$4K$467$3K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$6K$6K
Total functional expensesLn 25$519K$381K$110K$28K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $709K$519K$189K$2.5M 990 PDF
FY2024 $450K$352K$98K$2.3M 990 PDF
FY2023 $596K$382K$213K$2.2M 990 PDF
FY2022 $420K$212K$208K$2.0M 990 PDF
FY2021 $590K$314K$276K$1.8M 990 PDF
FY2020 $384K$751K−$367K$1.5M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $708,530 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $274,952$535,160
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $135,111$132,850
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $40,034$40,520
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $450,097$708,530
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$40,800
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $201,029$370,772
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $150,800$107,511
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $351,829$519,083
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $98,268$189,447
Part VI · Governance 5 of 6 board members independent, 3 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body6
VI-1b Independent voting members5
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $708,530 across 5 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$535,160
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$535,160
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $132,850$132,850
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $40,520$40,520
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $132,850 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $40,520$708,530
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $519,083 across 14 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $40,800$40,800
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $56,575 · Management $8,276 · Fundraising $3,587$68,438
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $159,066 · Management $67,298 · Fundraising $18,723$245,087
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $6,548 · Management $2,295 · Fundraising $678$9,521
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $13,643 · Management $4,781 · Fundraising $1,411$19,835
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $19,183 · Management $6,723 · Fundraising $1,985$27,891
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $9,400$9,400
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $10,842 · Management $1,928 · Fundraising $569$13,339
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $7,651 · Management $3,820 · Fundraising $584$12,055
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $7,015 · Management $2,459 · Fundraising $726$10,200
IX-17 TravelPrograms $5,198 · Management $184 · Fundraising $54$5,436
IX-20 InterestPrograms $47,127$47,127
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $467 · Management $3,075$3,542
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $6,412$6,412
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $380,527 · Management $110,239 · Fundraising $28,317$519,083
Part X · Balance sheet $7,829,568 assets, 15 lines filed
Asset lines not itemized here account for $3,306,810; see the IRS return.
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $22,849$36,905
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $2,816,568$3,890,624
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $3,700$2,550
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $37,542$42,645
X-13 Program-related investmentsStart of year $548,542$548,542
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $482$1,492
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $6,734,675$7,829,568
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $29,308$40,483
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $4,373,448$5,275,824
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $8,487$382
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $4,411,243$5,316,689
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $734,984$887,856
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $1,588,448$1,625,023
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $2,323,432$2,512,879
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $6,734,675$7,829,568
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $2,512,879 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$708,530
XI-2 Total expenses$519,083
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$189,447
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$2,323,432
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$2,512,879

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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