Big Thicket Association FY2020 filing

Tax-deductible

Beaumont, TX501(c)(3)Since 1964EIN 74-6074261

The Big Thicket Associations mission is to preserve, protect, and promote the Big Thicket region, its natural resources and cultural history, for the enjoyment and well-being of present and future generations through advocacy, education and research.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
84¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$53K 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
Is it a real charity?
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
Are gifts tax-deductible?
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Is it filing on time?
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 years looks good.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Is it financially stable?
4 of 6
years in the black
Worth a look: 2 of the last 6 filings show a deficit.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
How much reaches the programs?
84%
of spending
Looks good: 84% of spending went to programs; 75% or more looks good.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
What are leaders paid?
$53K
to officers and key staff · 32% of spending
Concern: leaders' pay is 32% of spending; over 30% is a concern.
Pt VII · Sec A
Do they have reserves?
23 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 23.2 months of spending in cash; 3 or more looks good.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Who is supporting them already?
3
named funders · $18K
Looks good: 3 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more looks good.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Do they carry debt?
$17K
liabilities
Looks good: debts are 4% of assets; 50% or less looks good.
Pt X · Ln 26
Who oversees it?
24
independent of 24 voting board members
Looks good: 24 of 24 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodWorth a lookConcernTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$198K
Spent
$166K
To programs
84%
Net assets
$381K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$198K
FY2020
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$198K
FY2021$185K
FY2022$173K
FY2023$215K
FY2024$185K
FY2025$191K
Expenses
$166K
FY2020
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$166K
FY2021$155K
FY2022$178K
FY2023$177K
FY2024$183K
FY2025$203K
Net assets
$381K
FY2020
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$381K
FY2021$410K
FY2022$405K
FY2023$443K
FY2024$445K
FY2025$433K

From the FY2020 Form 990 · see the original

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Status and standing

Is it real, and can you give to it?

Tax-deductible?
Yes
Per the IRS master file.
Can I give now?
No revocation on IRS record
Not on the IRS revocation list.
Filing up to date?
Yes — filed FY2025
Legal name (IRS)Hdr · item CBig Thicket Association
EINHdr · item D74-6074261
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
Ruling yearIRS BMFApr 1967
Year of formationHdr · item L1964
Latest filingForm 990FY2025 · Form 990
Principal addressHdr · item CBeaumont, TX
NTEE classificationIRS BMFNonprofit
WebsiteHdr · item Jbigthicket.org

Where the money goes

What each dollar paid for.

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.84 Management & general $0.13 Fundraising $0.03
Program services84%$139K
Management & general13%$22K
Fundraising3%$5K
Total functional expensesLn 25$166K

Financial health

Is it on solid ground?

Program efficiency
84%
of spending reaches programs
Operating runway
23.2mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate
Surplus margin
+16%
revenue over expenses, this year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2020 · Form 990
Total assets
$398K
FY2020
Total assets by fiscal year
FY2020$398K
FY2021$427K
FY2022$423K
FY2023$446K
FY2024$446K
FY2025$436K
Total liabilities
$17K
FY2020
Total liabilities by fiscal year
FY2020$17K
FY2021$16K
FY2022$18K
FY2023$3K
FY2024$2K
FY2025$3K
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$32K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$398K
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B84%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 324
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 424

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$320K
Total assetsLn 16$398K
Total liabilitiesLn 26$17K
Total net assetsLn 32$381K
Months of cash on handcomputed23.2

Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$192K · 97%
Program service revenue$5K · 2%
Contributions & grants97%$192K
Program service revenue2%$5K
Investment income$826
Other revenue$92
— government grantsLn 1e$69K
Total revenueLn 12$198K

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2020 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $320K · Operating expenses/yr $166K
23.2 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $139K · Total expenses $166K
84%
Management & General
Management & general $22K · Total expenses $166K
13%
Fundraising
Fundraising $5K · Total expenses $166K
3%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense $5K · Solicited contributions $123K
$0.04 to raise $1
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $192K · Total revenue $198K
97%
Government reliance
Government grants $69K · Total revenue $198K
35%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $5K · Total revenue $198K
2%
Investment reliance
Investment income $826 · Total revenue $198K
+0.4%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $5K · Total expenses $166K
3%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $198K · Prior year —
No prior year on file
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $381K · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $198K · Expenses $166K
+16%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $398K
—
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $381K · Total assets $398K
96%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $398K
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Bruce Walker · Reported title Executive Director · Highest reported compensation $36K · Total expenses $166K
21%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $100K · Total expenses $166K
60%
Peer comparison

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

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 84%——
Overhead ratio 13%——
Fundraising cost ratio 3%——
Accounting fee ratio 3%——

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.

Leadership and pay

Who runs it, and what are they paid?

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director
$35,560Pt VII · Sec A
Executive Director
$17,000Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt 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

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 3 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Diane Thompson$50,169$48,708$46,800$22,143——
Wendy Ledbetter————$43,088$17,000
Bruce Walker———$21,429—$35,560

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 Big Thicket Association executive salaries →

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Governance & Policies

Part VI
  • 24Voting board membersPt VI · Ln 1a
  • 24Independent board membersPt VI · Ln 1b
  • Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
  • Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
  • Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
  • Top official’s pay independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
  • Family or business ties among leadersPt VI · Ln 2Yes

Mission and programs

What it does.

Preserves, protects, and promotes the Big Thicket region's natural resources and cultural history.

Provided by the organization

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Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

3 program services account for $139K of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2020.
01

Neches River Adventures

The Association operates the "Ivory Bill", a covered excursion boat on the Neches River for school field trips, social events and nature classes. Public tours are conducted most Saturdays between late March and early November. The "Ivory Bill" is also available for private tours all year.

$83Kprogram expense
02

Thicket of Diversity and Field Research Learning Center

The Association, in partnership with the Big Thicket National Preserve, The Nature Conservancy, and other entities, administers and coordinates the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI). The ATBI is undertaken to enhance the ability of the National Park Service management by identifying every living species inhabiting the Big Thicket…

$39Kprogram expense
03

Awareness and Conservation

The Association promotes awareness of the Big Thicket National Preserve and the need to protect the natural resources and natural beauty of the Big Thicket.

$17Kprogram expense

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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 · FY2024
Total grants receivedfrom 3 funders$18K
See all 3 funders →
Grants paid · 3 grants · $27K · 2020–2025
Unitemized GrantFY2025$8,736

Filing history

Every return on file.

YearRevenueExpensesChangeFiling
FY2025 Latest $191K$203K+3% 990 PDF
FY2024 $185K$183K-14% 990 PDF
FY2023 $215K$177K+24% 990 PDF
FY2022 $173K$178K-6% 990 PDF
FY2021 $185K$155K-7% 990 PDF
FY2020 Viewing $198K$166K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash

Not shown yet: ratings, outcomes, and peer benchmarks. A Form 990 doesn’t report them.

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2020IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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