To create resilient gulf coast communities that are environmentally sustainable, financially viable and personally cohesive. Common Ground Relief remains committed to its grassroots, volunteer-based approach to community transformation and sustainability. Achieves its mission by focusing on restoring and preserving louisiana's disappearing coastal wetlands. The organization grows plant material in its lower ninth ward nursery, educates about wetland eco-systems and horticulture, and partners with government entities, non-government organizations and individuals to re-plant threatened wetlands using volunteer labor.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
85¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$90K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2023 · 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
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
2 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $7K a year · 3% of revenue · last 5 filings
Concern: a surplus in 2 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
85%
of spending
Looks good: 85% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$90K
to officers and key staff · 32% of spending
Concern: pay to officers and key staff is 32% of spending; over 30%.
Pt VII · Sec A
5 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 4.7 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
7
named funders · $200K
Looks good: 7 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$99K
30% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 30% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
11
of 11 voting members
Looks good: 11 of 11 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$228K
-8% vs prior year
Spent
$285K
To programs
85%
Net assets
$235K
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$228K
FY2023▼ -8%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$162K
FY2021$223K
FY2022$249K
FY2023$228K
FY2024$346K
Expenses
$285K
FY2023▲ +23%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$165K
FY2021$187K
FY2022$231K
FY2023$285K
FY2024$375K
Net assets
$235K
FY2023▼ -20%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$238K
FY2021$273K
FY2022$292K
FY2023$235K
FY2024$205K

From the FY2023 Form 990 · see the original

Give Claim
You’re viewing the FY2023 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Aug 2007.

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

Where the money goes

85 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 85% · $243K Management & general 11% · $31K Fundraising 4% · $12K

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

Something off? Claim to add context

Who runs it and what they're paid

14 people listed on the 990; $90K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Co Director
$45,000Pt VII · Sec A
Co Director
$31,640Pt VII · Sec A
Co Director
$13,265Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Joshua Benitez’s $45K as Co Director is at the 70th percentile of top reported officer pay among 826 $100K–1M public safety & disaster 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 · 4 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Joshua Benitez$45,000$40,000——
Charlotte Clarke$31,640$40,000$36,000$6,667
Britt Aliperti———$32,333
Christina Lehew$13,265———

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 Common Ground Relief INC executive salaries →

On this list? Claim this org

Something off? Claim to add context

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

Restores and preserves coastal wetlands through volunteer-led planting and education.

Questions for Common Ground Relief INC

Tap to ask. Common Ground Relief INC sees how many people are interested.

Your first name shows with your question. Common Ground Relief INC answers here, for everyone.

Provided by the organization

Know this org? Add your story

3 programs · $243K · in their own filed words · FY2023
01

Restored dozens of linear miles of coastland throughout southeastern louisiana by planting 3,703 native TREES,44,000 plugs of marsh grass, and 6,400 native irises.

$97Kprogram expense
02

Hosted, guided,and educated 1,000 volunteers between the wetlands restoration and free pantry programs.

$97Kprogram expense
03

Maintained operations despite increased demand of the free pantry,which served an average of increase of 50 families per week in 2023,INCREASED to 75-90 families per week through 2023.

$49Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

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

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
See all 7 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2023 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$228K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$185K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$43K
Money outPt IX
$285K
Ln 25
Programscol B$243K
Managementcol C$31K
Fundraisingcol D$12K
Owns and owesPt X
$235K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$111K
Total assetsLn 16$333K
LiabilitiesLn 26$99K
PeoplePt VI, VII
14
listed · VII A
PaidVII A3
Voting boardVI 1a11
IndependentVI 1b11
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$185K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$43K
Total revenueLn 12$228K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$111K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$111K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$212K
Other assetsLn 15$50
Total assetsLn 16$333K
LiabilitiesLn 26$99K
Net assetsLn 32$235K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 54
VolunteersI 6500
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY23End FY23
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$152K$111K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$233K$212K
Total assetsLn 16$396K$333K
LiabilitiesLn 26$104K$99K
Net assetsLn 32$292K$235K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$97K$78K$19K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$60$60
Payroll taxesLn 10$8K$6K$2K
Accounting feesLn 11c$323$323
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$1K$1K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$20K$11K$8K
Office expensesLn 13$4K$2K$315$2K
OccupancyLn 16$10K$8K$2K
InterestLn 20$12K$9K$2K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$21K$21K
InsuranceLn 23$17K$15K$2K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$68K$68K
All other expensesLn 24e$27K$24K$3K
Total functional expensesLn 25$285K$243K$31K$12K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest $346K$375K−$30K$205K 990 PDF
FY2023 Viewing $228K$285K−$57K$235K 990 PDF
FY2022 $249K$231K$18K$292K 990 PDF
FY2021 $223K$187K$36K$273K 990 PDF
FY2020 $162K$165K−$3K$238K 990 PDF

More to add? Claim this org

Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $228,195 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $226,155$184,726
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $21,669$43,469
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $0$0
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $1,447$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $249,271$228,195
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $100,615$104,787
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$1,000
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $130,424$179,534
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $231,039$285,321
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $18,232−$57,126
Part VI · Governance 11 of 11 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body11
VI-1b Independent voting members11
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
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $228,195 across 4 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$184,726
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$184,726
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $43,469$43,469
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $43,469 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$228,195
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $285,321 across 13 lines filed
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $77,702 · Management $19,425$97,127
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $60$60
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $6,080 · Management $1,520$7,600
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $323$323
IX-11e Professional fundraising feesFundraising $1,000$1,000
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $11,019 · Fundraising $8,500$19,519
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $1,966 · Management $315 · Fundraising $2,154$4,435
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $8,307 · Management $2,077$10,384
IX-20 InterestPrograms $9,245 · Management $2,311$11,556
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $20,739$20,739
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $14,804 · Management $2,445$17,249
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $68,383$68,383
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $24,439 · Management $2,507$26,946
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $242,744 · Management $30,923 · Fundraising $11,654$285,321
Part X · Balance sheet $333,125 assets, 9 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $152,497$110,765
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $10,000$10,000
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $233,052$212,310
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $50$50
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $396,035$333,125
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $104,327$98,543
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $291,708$234,582
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $291,708$234,582
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $396,035$333,125
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $234,582 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$228,195
XI-2 Total expenses$285,321
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$57,126
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$291,708
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$234,582

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

Similar organizations you could support · Compare with another nonprofit

Names, privacy, and removal requests More

The names, titles, and compensation shown on this page are reproduced from IRS Form 990 filings, which are public records.

Philanthropy.org does not alter the content of those filings. All information appears exactly as reported by the filing organization for the tax year shown.

We publish only information contained in the public IRS filing — and less than the filing contains. Our profile pages do not display street addresses, telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or other personal contact information, even where the filing includes them.

Many people share the same name. A name shown on this page reflects only what one organization reported in one IRS filing for one tax year. It should not be interpreted as identifying any other individual with the same or a similar name.

If you are no longer affiliated with the organization, your name will generally stop appearing in future IRS filings once the organization no longer reports you. Pages for tax years in which you were reported remain published because those filings remain part of the public record.

Philanthropy.org does not alter or remove IRS filing records. Removing a page from this website would not remove the underlying IRS filing, which remains publicly available from the IRS and other publishers of the same information.

If you believe the IRS filing itself is inaccurate, corrections must be made by the filing organization or the IRS directly.

Your org? Add context

Made it to the end? Claim this org

All figures are derived from public IRS Form 990 filings and are presented without evaluation of any organization. philanthropy.org does not rate, score, or rank organizations, including the pay comparisons above.