Erie County Agricultural Society EIN 16-0790021

Erie County Agricultural Society

EIN  16-0790021 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Hamburg, NY Founded 1819
Form 990 (PDF) Compare with another nonprofit →
Verified accurate 7/22/26 · see original filing: IRS
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Size
$10–100M
What they do
Preserves New York's agricultural history and educates residents on farming and animal care.
Leadership
Money in and out
$11.7M revenue, $12.1M expenses
Bottom line
83% program efficiency

Preserves New York's agricultural history and educates residents on farming and animal care. For fiscal year 2024 it reported $11.7M in revenue, $12.1M in expenses, and $48.1M in net assets.Pt I

Where the money goes · FY2024
Total revenue
$11.7M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$12.1M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$48.1M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): −$362K
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.83 Management & general $0.17
Program efficiency
83%
of spending reaches programs▼ -1% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
17.9mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▲ +2% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
-3%
revenue over expenses, this year▼ -28% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2024 · Form 990
Revenue
$11.7M
FY2024▲ +2%
Expenses
$12.1M
FY2024▲ +3%
Total assets
$56.2M
FY2024▼ -2%
Total liabilities
$8.1M
FY2024▼ -14%
Total revenue
$11.7M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$12.1M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$48.1M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19−$362K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$56.2M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B83%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 313
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 413
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

2 program services account for $10.1M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2023.
01

The society produces the erie county fair, which is held annually and intended to promote and showcase our pride in the heritage, agriculture, and creative talents of our community.

$8.9Mprogram expense
02

Horse, Cattle, Hog, and Farm Equipment shows. These shows are held in the Showplex. The shows have exhibits that showcase agricultural life in Western New York.

$1.2Mprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CErie County Agricultural Society
EINHdr · item D16-0790021
Principal addressHdr · item CHamburg, NY
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.ecfair.org
Year of formationHdr · item L1819
State of legal domicileHdr · item MNY
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFRecreation & Sports (N520)
Ruling yearIRS BMFNov 1969

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a13
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b13
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2023); the FY2024 filing did not itemize Part VII
$200,700Pt VII · Sec A
$200,700Pt VII · Sec A
General Counselcfo
$140,176Pt VII · Sec A
Chairman of Board - Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Vice Chair Elect
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Jessica L Underberg’s $201K as CEO is at the 16th percentile of top reported officer pay among 290 $10–100M recreation & sports 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Jessica L Underberg$200,700$179,668$176,196$195,036$158,276
Jessica L Underberg Officer$200,700$179,668$176,196$195,036$158,276
Michael Bolas$140,176$140,886$135,236$106,886$91,751

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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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Program service revenue$10.1M · 86%
Other revenue$988K · 8%
Investment income$601K · 5%
Program service revenue86%$10.1M
Other revenue8%$988K
Investment income5%$601K
Contributions & grants$45K
Total revenueLn 12$11.7M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.83 Management & general $0.17
Program services83%$10.1M
Management & general17%$2.0M
Total functional expensesLn 25$12.1M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$10.8M
Total assetsLn 16$56.2M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$8.1M
Total net assetsLn 32$48.1M
Months of cash on handcomputed10.7

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2024 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $18.0M · Operating expenses/yr $12.1M
17.9 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $10.1M · Total expenses $12.1M
83%
Management & General
Management & general $2.0M · Total expenses $12.1M
17%
Fundraising
Fundraising $0 · Total expenses $12.1M
0%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $0 · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $40K
Solicited contributions below reporting floor
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $45K · Total revenue $11.7M
0%
Government reliance
Government grants — · Total revenue $11.7M
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $10.1M · Total revenue $11.7M
86%
Investment reliance
Investment income $601K · Total revenue $11.7M
+5%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $10.1M · Total expenses $12.1M
84%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $11.7M · Prior year $11.5M
+2%
Revenue CAGR
FY2019 $925K · FY2023 $11.7M
+89%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $48.1M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $11.7M · Expenses $12.1M
-3%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $56.2M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $48.1M · Total assets $56.2M
86%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) $7.3M · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $56.2M
13%
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Jessica L Underberg · Reported title CEO · Highest reported compensation $201K · Total expenses $12.1M
2%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $3.1M · Total expenses $12.1M
26%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 83%
Overhead ratio 17%
Fundraising cost ratio 0%
Revenue growth 2%
Legal fee ratio 0%
Accounting fee ratio 0%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2021
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$15K

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2024 (Latest)$11.7M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$11.5M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$9.3M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$12.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$925K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2024IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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