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The Treeline Conservancy

Tax-deductible

Ann Arbor, MI501(c)(3)Since 2007Environment EIN 43-2091401Revenue $157K in FY2025

On file with the IRSthetreeline.org535 W William St, 48103-4978 · Ann Arbor, MITax-exempt since Sep 2007Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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To foster the creation and sustainable maintenance of a 2.75-mile urban trail that becomes an integral connector of people and places in ann arbor. The trail will bring access to ann arbor's river and park system through the heart of downtown along the alignment of historic allen creek; provide safe passage and recreation from the border-to-border trail at argo dam to the um stadium area; invite community gathering and engagement with natural and cultural features; benefit current and future generations by providing positive economic impact, improved aesthetics, enriched community engagement, and improved stormwater quality.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
45¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 21 volunteers and 3 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 surplus $23K a year · 8% 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
45%
of spending
Concern: 45% of spending went to programs; under 50%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$118K
to officers and key staff · 30% of spending
Top officer’s pay higher than 61% of similar orgs
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 30% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
3 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 3.2 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
4
named funders · $69K
Looks good: 4 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$240K
32% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 32% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
14
of 14 voting members
Looks good: 14 of 14 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$157K
+6% vs prior year
Spent
$390K
To programs
45%
Net assets
$501K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$157K
FY2025▲ +6%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$215K
FY2021$690K
FY2022$371K
FY2023$218K
FY2024$147K
FY2025$157K
Expenses
$390K
FY2025▲ +33%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$157K
FY2021$235K
FY2022$265K
FY2023$323K
FY2024$293K
FY2025$390K
Net assets
$501K
FY2025▼ -32%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$423K
FY2021$878K
FY2022$984K
FY2023$879K
FY2024$734K
FY2025$501K

From the FY2025 Form 990 · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Sep 2007.

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

Where the money goes

45 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 45% · $174K Management & general 20% · $77K Fundraising 36% · $139K

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

16 people listed on the 990; $118K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
$79,262Pt VII · Sec A
Melissa Kesterson
Dir of Opera
$39,140Pt VII · Sec A
Brock Hastie
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Joe O'Neal
Co-Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Jonah Bailey
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Ken Fischer
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Cynthia Vanrenterghem’s $79K as Ed of Develo is at the 61st percentile of top reported officer pay among 1989 $100K–1M 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Ellen Plummer—$61,673$112,417$106,000$103,917$88,688
Cynthia Vanrenterghem$79,262—————
Melissa Kesterson$39,140—————

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 The Treeline Conservancy executive salaries →

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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

Builds and maintains a downtown urban trail connecting people, places, and parks along historic Allen Creek.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $174K · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

To foster the creation and sustainable maintenance of a 2.50-MILE urban trail that becomes an integral connector of people and places in ann arbor. The trail will bring access to ann arbor's river and park system through the heart of downtown along the alignment of historic allen creek; provide safe passage and recreation from the…

$174Kprogram 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 · FY2023
James a and Faith Knight FoundationFY2023$25K
Ann Arbor Area Community FoundationFY2023$24K
Donor Advised Charitable Giving INCFY2023$11K
Peopleforbikes Coalition LtdFY2023$9K
Total grants receivedfrom 4 funders$69K
See all 4 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

Download 990
from philanthropy.org
1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$157K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$164K
Investment incomeLn 3$1K
Money outPt IX
$390K
Ln 25
Programscol B$174K
Managementcol C$77K
Fundraisingcol D$139K
Owns and owesPt X
$501K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$104K
Total assetsLn 16$740K
LiabilitiesLn 26$240K
PeoplePt VI, VII
16
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a14
IndependentVI 1b14
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$164K
Investment incomeLn 3$1K
Total revenueLn 12$157K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$1K
SavingsLn 2$103K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$104K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$614K
Other assetsLn 15$5K
Total assetsLn 16$740K
LiabilitiesLn 26$240K
Net assetsLn 32$501K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 53
VolunteersI 621
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 FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$190K$104K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$623K$614K
Total assetsLn 16$966K$740K
LiabilitiesLn 26$232K$240K
Net assetsLn 32$734K$501K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$118K$4K$25K$89K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$21K$6K$10K$5K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$1K$317$875$246
Payroll taxesLn 10$13K$787$5K$7K
Legal feesLn 11b$8K$8K
Accounting feesLn 11c$17K$17K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$36K$10K$300$25K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$2K$2K
Office expensesLn 13$5K$457$419$4K
Information technologyLn 14$2K$1K$884
OccupancyLn 16$123$44$32$47
TravelLn 17$615$609$6
InterestLn 20$433$433
InsuranceLn 23$5K$5K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$158K$150K$1K$7K
All other expensesLn 24e$3K$630$2K$343
Total functional expensesLn 25$390K$174K$77K$139K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $157K$390K−$233K$501K 990 PDF
FY2024 $147K$293K−$146K$734K 990 PDF
FY2023 $218K$323K−$105K$879K 990 PDF
FY2022 $371K$265K$106K$984K 990 PDF
FY2021 $690K$235K$455K$878K 990 PDF
FY2020 $215K$157K$58K$423K 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 FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $156,979 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $177,602$163,693
I-9 Program service revenue$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $8,856$1,429
I-11 Other revenuePrior year −$39,021−$8,143
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $147,437$156,979
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $158,050$153,680
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $134,923$236,151
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $292,973$389,831
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$145,536−$232,852
Part VI · Governance 14 of 14 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body14
VI-1b Independent voting members14
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
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $156,979 across 5 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$163,693
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$163,693
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $1,429$1,429
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossUnrelated business −$8,143−$8,143
VIII-12 Total revenueUnrelated business −$8,143 · Excluded from tax $1,429$156,979
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $389,831 across 16 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $3,914 · Management $25,441 · Fundraising $89,047$118,402
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $5,910 · Management $10,151 · Fundraising $4,516$20,577
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $317 · Management $875 · Fundraising $246$1,438
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $787 · Management $5,408 · Fundraising $7,068$13,263
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $7,975$7,975
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $16,714$16,714
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $10,244 · Management $300 · Fundraising $25,366$35,910
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $1,840$1,840
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $457 · Management $419 · Fundraising $3,663$4,539
IX-14 Information technologyManagement $1,365 · Fundraising $884$2,249
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $44 · Management $32 · Fundraising $47$123
IX-17 TravelPrograms $609 · Fundraising $6$615
IX-20 InterestManagement $433$433
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $5,037$5,037
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $149,520 · Management $1,336 · Fundraising $7,331$158,187
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $630 · Management $1,556 · Fundraising $343$2,529
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $174,272 · Management $77,042 · Fundraising $138,517$389,831
Part X · Balance sheet $740,476 assets, 15 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $3,529$1,222
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $186,217$102,803
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $147,403$5,000
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $35$6,135
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $6,086$6,654
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $622,535$613,662
X-15 Other assets$5,000
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $965,805$740,476
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $6,338$20,501
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $1,000$1,000
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $232,224$239,747
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $586,178$495,729
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $147,403$5,000
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $733,581$500,729
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $965,805$740,476
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $500,729 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$156,979
XI-2 Total expenses$389,831
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$232,852
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$733,581
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$500,729

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

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