Maine Grain Alliance

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Our mission is to inspire and empower people who are building local Grain economies. We create connections and share Grain traditions and innovations from earth to table. We provide opportunities to learn and share how best to grow and use grains, using a combination of traditional, innovative, and sustainable techniques. The Alliance promotes beneficial uses of Grain for good health, food independence, and purposeful jobs within viable communities. The Alliance connects people and supports the economic, environmental, and nutritional importance for establishing regional Grain economies.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
68¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 50 volunteers and 2 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
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $10K a year · 5% 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
68%
of spending
Fine: 68% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$63K
to officers and key staff · 24% of spending
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 24% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
2 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $150K in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Fine: 1.7 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $6K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$7K
3% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 3% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
17
of 17 voting members
Looks good: 17 of 17 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$278K
+13% vs prior year
Spent
$264K
To programs
68%
Net assets
$210K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$278K
FY2025▲ +13%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$207K
FY2021$153K
FY2022$159K
FY2023$178K
FY2024$247K
FY2025$278K
Expenses
$264K
FY2025▲ +14%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$202K
FY2021$180K
FY2022$210K
FY2023$192K
FY2024$231K
FY2025$264K
Net assets
$210K
FY2025▲ +7%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$274K
FY2021$247K
FY2022$196K
FY2023$182K
FY2024$197K
FY2025$210K

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 Dec 2011.

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

Where the money goes

68 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 68% · $180K Management & general 32% · $85K

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

18 people listed on the 990; $63K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director
$62,830Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Tristan Noyes’s $63K as Executive Director is at the 55th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1613 $100K–1M education 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
Tristan Noyes$62,830$58,654$46,308$44,959$42,867$42,349

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 Maine Grain Alliance executive salaries →

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

Connects people to build local grain economies, sharing traditions and innovations from farm to table.

Questions for Maine Grain Alliance

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3 programs · $180K · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

Kneading and Bread Conference

The annual kneading conference brings together farmers, professional and home bakers, chefs, cooks, grain researchers, maltsters, food entrepreneurs, and wood-fired oven enthusiasts to educate one another about the art and science of growing and milling grains and baking artisan breads.

$115Kprogram expense
02

Grain Community Support

Restore rare and heritage variety grains by turning handfuls of carefully kept seed into commercially viable quantities for farms.

$45Kprogram expense
03

Education and Events

Provide grain and baking education programs through live and online workshops, baking tips, free learning resources, videos, handbooks and more provided by experts in the field.

$19Kprogram 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 · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$6K

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$278K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$183K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$91K
Investment incomeLn 3$4K
Money outPt IX
$264K
Ln 25
Programscol B$180K
Managementcol C$85K
Owns and owesPt X
$210K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$38K
Total assetsLn 16$218K
LiabilitiesLn 26$7K
PeoplePt VI, VII
18
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a17
IndependentVI 1b17
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$183K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$12K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$91K
Investment incomeLn 3$4K
Gains on assetsLn 7−$558
Total revenueLn 12$278K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$38K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$38K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$150K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$22K
Total assetsLn 16$218K
LiabilitiesLn 26$7K
Net assetsLn 32$210K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 52
VolunteersI 650
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3More from this return
Investment feesPt IX, Sch D
Investment fees, as reportedPt IX 11f$100
Share of the $61K endowmentSch D 1g0.16%
EndowmentSch D · Pt V
LineFY25
End of yearLn 1g$61K
Given inLn 1b$60K
SpentLn 1d–1f$50
4Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$65K$38K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$150K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$35K$22K
Total assetsLn 16$202K$218K
LiabilitiesLn 26$5K$7K
Net assetsLn 32$197K$210K
5Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$63K$53K$9K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$6K$6K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$2K$2K
Payroll taxesLn 10$6K$6K
Accounting feesLn 11c$2K$2K
Investment management feesLn 11f$100$100
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$58K$31K$27K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$23K$16K$7K
Office expensesLn 13$713$713
Information technologyLn 14$8K$8K
TravelLn 17$2K$411$2K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$13K$13K
InsuranceLn 23$6K$643$5K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$72K$59K$12K
All other expensesLn 24e$2K$226$2K
Total functional expensesLn 25$264K$180K$85K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Jun 22, 2026 $278K$264K$14K$210K 990 PDF
FY2024Filed with the IRS Apr 18, 2025 $247K$231K$16K$197K 990 PDF
FY2023Filed with the IRS Apr 2, 2024 $178K$192K−$15K$182K 990 PDF
FY2022Filed with the IRS May 10, 2023 $159K$210K−$51K$196K 990 PDF
FY2021Filed with the IRS May 16, 2022 $153K$180K−$27K$247K 990 PDF
FY2020Filed with the IRS Jun 7, 2021 $207K$202K$5K$274K 990 PDF

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 $278,065 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $156,732$182,834
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $84,732$90,874
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $5,170$4,357
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $246,634$278,065
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 $97,134$77,372
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $133,939$186,996
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $231,073$264,368
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $15,561$13,697
Part VI · Governance 17 of 17 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body17
VI-1b Independent voting members17
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 $278,065 across 7 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$182,834
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$12,469
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$182,834
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $90,874$90,874
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $4,915$4,915
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax −$558−$558
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $90,874 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $4,357$278,065
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $264,368 across 15 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $53,406 · Management $9,424$62,830
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $6,329$6,329
IX-9 Other employee benefitsManagement $1,974$1,974
IX-10 Payroll taxesManagement $6,239$6,239
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $2,327$2,327
IX-11f Investment management feesManagement $100$100
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $30,539 · Management $27,496$58,035
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $15,668 · Management $7,442$23,110
IX-13 Office expensesManagement $713$713
IX-14 Information technologyManagement $7,847$7,847
IX-17 TravelPrograms $411 · Management $1,643$2,054
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $12,812$12,812
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $643 · Management $5,186$5,829
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $59,489 · Management $12,254$71,743
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $226 · Management $2,200$2,426
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $179,523 · Management $84,845 · Fundraising $0$264,368
Part X · Balance sheet $217,939 assets, 11 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $65,145$37,653
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $5,787$8,385
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $34,783$21,970
X-11 Publicly traded securities$149,931
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $201,684$217,939
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $4,516$7,464
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $4,516$7,464
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $177,718$191,025
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $19,450$19,450
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $197,168$210,475
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $201,684$217,939
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $210,475 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$278,065
XI-2 Total expenses$264,368
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$13,697
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$197,168
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments−$390
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$210,475

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

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