Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jun 2011.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
76 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
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
9 people listed on the 990; $252K paid to officers and key staff (Part VII, Section A).
Maggie Lorenz’s $139K as Executive Director is at the 58th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1851 $1–10M environment 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
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maggie Lorenz | $139,000 | $135,000 | $113,806 | $88,017 | $77,524 | $72,596 |
| Kathleen Gamades | $110,000 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Katherine Beane | $2,750 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Franky Jackson | — | — | — | $325 | — | — |
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 Lower Phalen Creek Project 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 15aYes
Programs and updates
Inspiring people to protect and cherish natural places and their cultural heritage.
Questions for Lower Phalen Creek Project
Your first name shows with your question. Lower Phalen Creek Project answers here, for everyone.
Wta's land and environment program co-manages the 27-acre wakan tipi (formerly, bruce vento nature sanctuary) with the city of saint paul. In 2025, wta engaged nearly 500 volunteers through 20 volunteer events and more than 400 participants in 13 environmental education events.
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2025. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 27-5469929) · Dispute this lineFunders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $8.0M | $4.5M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $5.7M | $9.2M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $14.4M | $15.0M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $476K | $801K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $13.9M | $14.2M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Ln 5 | $273K | $215K | $53K | $5K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $469K | $370K | $91K | $8K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $8K | $6K | $2K | $134 |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $63K | $49K | $13K | $797 |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $21K | $21K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $69K | $69K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $830K | $705K | $95K | $31K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $17K | $3K | $12K | $2K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $16K | $9K | $4K | $3K |
| TravelLn 17 | $20K | $7K | $12K | $609 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $10K | $126 | $10K | $42 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $107K | $81K | $16K | $10K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.9M | $1.4M | $397K | $60K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Aug 18, 2026 | $2.1M | $1.9M | $231K | $14.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Oct 28, 2025 | $7.1M | $1.5M | $5.6M | $13.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Jul 1, 2024 | $2.3M | $1.2M | $1.0M | $8.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Sep 19, 2023 | $3.6M | $613K | $3.0M | $7.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Sep 26, 2022 | $2.8M | $701K | $2.1M | $4.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Sep 14, 2021 | $504K | $387K | $117K | $2.1M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990
Part I · Summary $2,133,391 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 7 of 7 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,133,391 across 7 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,902,846 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $14,953,690 assets, 13 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $14,152,550 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file FY2025 from the IRS (about our sources) · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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