The Biodynamic Association (bda) awakens and enlivens co-creative relationships between humans and the earth, transforming the practice and culture of agriculture to renew the vitality of the earth, the integrity of our food, and the health and wholeness of our communities.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
82¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$56K 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

FY2020 · 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
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $3K a year · under 1% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
82%
of spending
Looks good: 82% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$56K
to officers and key staff · 7% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 7% of spending; 15% or less.
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
2
named funders · $20K
Fine: 2 funders name it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$116K
17% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 17% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
9
of 9 voting members
Looks good: 9 of 9 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$870K
Spent
$837K
To programs
82%
Net assets
$548K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$870K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$870K
FY2021$1.1M
FY2022$435K
FY2023$682K
FY2024$552K
FY2025$666K
Expenses
$837K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$837K
FY2021$773K
FY2022$600K
FY2023$759K
FY2024$882K
FY2025$419K
Net assets
$548K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$548K
FY2021$856K
FY2022$690K
FY2023$613K
FY2024$283K
FY2025$530K

From the FY2020 Form 990 (year ending March 2020) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2020 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jun 1947.

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

Where the money goes

82 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 82% · $686K Management & general 9% · $72K Fundraising 9% · $78K

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

10 people listed on the 990; $56K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2019); the FY2020 filing did not itemize Part VII
Executive Director
$55,875Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Sheila Foster’s $139K as Executive Director Through December 2023 is at the 97th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1172 $100K–1M food & agriculture 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 · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Sheila Foster$138,723$108,345———
Thea Maria Carlson——$17,892$56,691$55,875

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.

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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 15aYes

Programs and updates

Transforms agriculture to renew Earth's vitality, food integrity, and community health.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $599K · in their own filed words · FY2019
01

North american biodynamic conferencethe bda's biodynamic conference, the largest biodynamic gathering on the continent, brings together 700-900 farmers, gardeners, educators, researchers, activists, chefs, and foodies to teach, learn, connect, and share about biodynamics and regenerative agriculture.

$321Kprogram expense
02

Biodynamic education and trainingthe biodynamic association offers hands-on, holistic, and innovative farmer training for aspiring biodynamic farmers. The program is rooted in a diversity of exemplary farms, and trainees are connected across distance through dynamic, interactive online learning platforms.

$182Kprogram expense
03

Biodynamic communications and OUTREACH.THE biodynamic association is the primary hub for communications and outreach in the biodynamic movements, helping thousands of people who are practicing and interested in biodynamics to connect to and learn from each other.

$96Kprogram 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 · FY2021
Total grants receivedfrom 2 funders$20K
Grants paid · 4 grants · $37K · 2019–2021
Unitemized GrantFY2021$1,600
Unitemized GrantFY2020$1,525
Unitemized GrantFY2019$32,187
Unitemized GrantFY2019$2,150

By the numbers

The FY2020 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$870K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$556K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$294K
Other incomeLn 4–11$16K
Money outPt IX
$837K
Ln 25
Programscol B$686K
Managementcol C$72K
Fundraisingcol D$78K
Owns and owesPt X
$548K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$326K
Total assetsLn 16$664K
LiabilitiesLn 26$116K
PeoplePt VI, VII
10
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a9
IndependentVI 1b9
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$556K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$19K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$294K
Investment incomeLn 3$5K
Other incomeLn 4–11$16K
Total revenueLn 12$870K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$94K
SavingsLn 2$232K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$326K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$290K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$2K
Other assetsLn 15$2K
Total assetsLn 16$664K
LiabilitiesLn 26$116K
Net assetsLn 32$548K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 513
VolunteersI 675
Fiscal year endsHeaderMarch
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 FY20End FY20
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$206K$326K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$346K$290K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$3K$2K
Total assetsLn 16$617K$664K
LiabilitiesLn 26$102K$116K
Net assetsLn 32$515K$548K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$34K$34K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$58K$43K$9K$6K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$208K$145K$24K$39K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$14K$9K$2K$2K
Payroll taxesLn 10$26K$19K$3K$4K
Legal feesLn 11b$762$150$612
Accounting feesLn 11c$25K$461$25K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$68K$55K$322$13K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$2K$2K$50
Office expensesLn 13$9K$8K$802$553
OccupancyLn 16$4K$3K$486$701
TravelLn 17$19K$14K$3K$1K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$641$456$76$109
InsuranceLn 23$4K$3K$637$701
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$349K$339K$2K$7K
All other expensesLn 24e$16K$12K$587$4K
Total functional expensesLn 25$837K$686K$72K$78K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $666K$419K$247K$530K 990 PDF
FY2024 $552K$882K−$330K$283K 990 PDF
FY2023 $682K$759K−$77K$613K 990 PDF
FY2022 $435K$600K−$165K$690K 990 PDF
FY2021 $1.1M$773K$308K$856K 990 PDF
FY2020 Viewing $870K$837K$33K$548K 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 FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $869,639 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $521,052$555,863
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $316,480$293,511
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $4,349$4,588
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $19,683$15,677
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $861,564$869,639
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $17,951$34,337
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $288,927$304,992
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $19,500$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $658,144$497,331
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $984,522$836,660
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$122,958$32,979
Part VI · Governance 9 of 9 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body9
VI-1b Independent voting members9
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $869,639 across 8 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $15,672 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1b Membership dues$81,608
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$474,255
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$18,509
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$555,863
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $293,511$293,511
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $4,588$4,588
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $5$5
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $313,776 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$869,639
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $836,660 across 16 lines filed
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $34,337$34,337
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $43,340 · Management $8,668 · Fundraising $5,779$57,787
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $144,532 · Management $23,990 · Fundraising $39,142$207,664
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $9,196 · Management $2,066 · Fundraising $2,428$13,690
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $18,633 · Management $3,220 · Fundraising $3,998$25,851
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $150 · Management $612$762
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $461 · Management $24,954$25,415
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $55,025 · Management $322 · Fundraising $12,974$68,321
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $1,581 · Fundraising $50$1,631
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $7,543 · Management $802 · Fundraising $553$8,898
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $2,914 · Management $486 · Fundraising $701$4,101
IX-17 TravelPrograms $14,275 · Management $3,109 · Fundraising $1,198$18,582
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $456 · Management $76 · Fundraising $109$641
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $2,914 · Management $637 · Fundraising $701$4,252
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $339,393 · Management $2,390 · Fundraising $7,202$348,985
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $11,604 · Management $587 · Fundraising $3,552$15,743
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $686,354 · Management $71,919 · Fundraising $78,387$836,660
Part X · Balance sheet $663,508 assets, 17 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $46,340$93,846
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $159,571$231,909
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $20,213$15,388
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $6,047$4,877
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $21,986$20,829
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $1,225$2,088
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $2,843$1,999
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $346,329$290,197
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $12,375$2,375
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $616,929$663,508
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $29,114$32,880
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $72,901$82,735
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $102,015$115,615
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $426,728$459,437
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $88,186$88,456
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $514,914$547,893
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $616,929$663,508
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $547,893 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$869,639
XI-2 Total expenses$836,660
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$32,979
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$514,914
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$547,893

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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